June 2009
To: Majority Council Members
From: Ellen R. Malcolm
Date: June 2, 2009
Chu wins special primary: On track to be the 80th EMILY’s List woman elected to the House
Dr. Judy Chu won a decisive victory in the May 19 special primary election to replace Hilda Solis in California’s 32nd congressional district with 32 percent of the vote in a 12-person field. While Judy will almost certainly be the next congresswoman from California, she must compete in a runoff July 14 against Republican Betty Tom Chu and Libertarian Chris Agrella. Democrats have a two-to-one registration advantage in the 32nd district, so there is little doubt that Judy will be sworn in as the newest member of the House. Notably, she will become the ninth woman in California’s congressional delegation to get to Congress via special election -underscoring the importance of seizing these special election opportunities when they arise.This was a true EMILY’s List success story. We had supported Judy’s campaigns for legislature and the state Board of Equalization through our Political Opportunity Program (POP), so we already knew what an outstanding leader she was. When this seat opened up, our political staff worked with her from the start, helping her set up a successful campaign operation in a very short period of time. Judy raised nearly $1 million in just three months, helped along by contributions from EMILY’s List members across the country. She needed every penny to defend herself, especially in the final days, when she was under constant attack from her closest competitor, state Senator Gil Cedillo.
And WOMEN VOTE! was there to help drive up Judy’s vote. Our WOMEN VOTE! team analyzed demographics and turnout patterns in recent California special elections to determine the best targets for voter contact. In this majority Hispanic district, we knew Judy needed to win about 20-25 percent of the Hispanic vote. We emphasized Judy’s deep roots and long history of leadership in this community in four pieces of mail to about 24,000 Hispanic voters. We also highlighted her accomplishments and endorsements, including those of Los Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa, 11 members of Congress, the AFL-CIO, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, various members of Hilda Solis’s family, and, in a unanimous vote, the state Democratic Party. In the end, she cleared her mark, winning about one out of every three Hispanic votes.
Once she officially becomes a congresswoman, Judy will be the 80th pro-choice Democratic woman EMILY’s List has helped elect to the U.S. House. Coincidentally, when Hilda Solis won the primary for this same seat in 2000, she became our 50th House winner. It’s important to celebrate these milestones and marvel at how far we’ve come since 1988, when there were just 12 lonely Democratic women in the House. At 17 percent, women are still far from parity in the U.S. Congress, but every victory brings us one step closer.
A clearer primary field in New York’s Senate race
Good news from New York! At the behest of President Obama, Congressman Steve Israel agreed not to challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primary. The field is not completely clear yet, but Israel’s decision - and the president’s involvement - is a sign that Democrats are starting to coalesce behind Kirsten as the standard-bearer to defend this seat against a GOP takeover attempt.Kirsten is really making a name for herself in the Senate, advancing proposals to eliminate harmful chemicals from drinking water and ban the use of potentially carcinogenic compounds in bath products used on children. She spends every weekend back in New York, getting to know voters in every corner of the vast state. She is a skilled leader with a very bright future - but, as an appointee, Kirsten is more vulnerable than a typical incumbent senator. Republicans’ best hope for winning is if she is weakened, both financially and politically, by a costly primary fight. She needs the full support of her fellow Democrats as she forges ahead in what will probably be a $25 million campaign.
President Obama’s pick: Judge Sonia Sotomayor
I am pleased that President Obama selected Sonia Sotomayor, an outstanding jurist with a uniquely American life story, for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. She will bring a refreshing perspective to the nation’s highest court as the first Hispanic justice.Hearings on Judge Sotomayor’s nomination will begin soon, and the airwaves are thick with conservative bloviators slinging vitriol. Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are calling her a racist (Newt oddly qualifies his attack: she’s a “Latina woman racist”), and fundraising guru Richard Viguerie declared the right wing “will quickly launch a massive educational campaign using direct mail, the internet, talk radio, cable TV, YouTube, and other forms of new and alternative media” against her.
That’s to be expected - far-right activists will make the most of this opportunity to excite a dispirited base and, naturally, to fill depleted coffers. But they do so at great risk to the Republican Party. Hispanic Americans are rightly proud of Judge Sotomayor and, as the fastest growing segment of the electorate, are likely to be repelled by a full-scale assault on her - and hold the GOP responsible, whether the attacks come from the party or its allies. In the end, I’m confident Judge Sotomayor’s record, credentials, and qualifications will win out and she will be confirmed by the Senate. But we are in for a bumpy ride.
Speaking of attacks…
Almost as soon as the new Congress convened, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) went on the offensive against newly elected Democrats, particularly those from Republican-leaning districts, with a barrage of smears from every direction: television, radio, direct mail, robocalls, and the internet. EMILY’s List helped elect six new women in GOP-held districts in 2008 - Betsy Markey (Colorado 4), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio 15), Debbie Halvorson (Illinois 11), Ann Kirkpatrick (Arizona 1), Suzanne Kosmas (Florida 24), and Dina Titus (Nevada 3) - and each has been a target of one or another of these fusillades.But the most despicable ad thus far has to be the Republican National Committee’s internet ad called “Pelosi Galore.” It’s hard to fathom why the supposedly new, hip RNC would reach back to the 1960s and use a very dated James Bond character (“Pussy Galore”) to launch a blatantly misogynistic attack on the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Maybe the same creative geniuses that came up with the Hillary Clinton nutcracker are hard at work in the bowels of the party headquarters. Wherever it came from, it’s gone now: the outcry was swift, and the committee quickly pulled the ad. But the message is clear: Republicans are so desperate that they will green light the most extraordinarily vile smears against women.
Meet us on Facebook!
If you were at the Majority Council conference last month, you joined me in getting a little education on social networking, particularly Facebook. Thanks to our technologically savvy EMILY’s List staff, I now know what Facebook is and how it works - and I know that EMILY needs you as one of our Facebook friends! You can find us from your Facebook page: click in the search box in the upper right-hand corner, enter “EMILY’s List,” and join the 7,000+ people who come to get the latest news on pro-choice Democratic women, interact with other supporters, comment on our “Wall,” and post links to interesting articles or web sites about progressive women in politics. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded people who share your commitment to electing pro-choice Democratic women.And if you’re not on Facebook, maybe it’s time to join. It’s a great way to keep up with old friends, colleagues, and far-flung relatives. Whether you join or not, you can always find news about our candidates - and make secure contributions directly to them or EMILY’s List - on our web site, www.emilyslist.org.