Patty Murray

I'm happy to say that our phone bank for Sen. Patty Murray was a huge success! The amount of support just blew me away: turnout was even better than we expected, and first-time phone bankers, fueled by homemade cookies and delicious pizza, were filled with excitement only matched by the warm reception of the voters we reached in Washington State. In call after call, individuals pledged to vote for Patty Murray or told us they had already cast their vote for the Senator.

As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said last night, being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condition in America! With Speaker Pelosi at the helm, the House passed historic health care legislation last night, and many of the women we helped elect played a critical role in ensuring better coverage for American women and families.

In case you missed it, check out this note from our friend Allison Janney -- known to the many West Wing fans as "C.J. Cregg" -- about why it’s so important to help EMILY’s List right now:

Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist attacked Senator Patty Murray in a NYTimes piece today on the Debt Committee.

It’s a first for EMILY’s List: we’re asking you to choose which of our candidates will be featured in a special fundraising appeal in October. Just a few days in, the amount of responses has been amazing, and there are already a few break-out stars. Here’s a sneak peek at the ongoing tally – this graphic represents your voting so far, and you still have time to weigh in!

Every cycle has a race that really comes down to work horse vs. a show horse -- and 2010 is no exception. In the show-horse role this year, perennial -- or should we say perpetual? -- candidate Dino Rossi. You all remember Dino from his two unsuccessful bids for the Governor's office – and especially the nasty and misleading attacks he launched against our own Governor Christine Gregoire.

Our women in the Senate have been on the forefront of many issues in the news lately, particularly health care reform. Of course, they're also leading the way in other top Senate jobs, including foreign relations. We were excited to learn this week that EMILY's List alum Sen.

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In which Susanna Martinez fails to answer for her record, Dino Rossi fails to answer questions, and Alex Sink just embarrasses Rick Scott with how much better she is

The race for New Mexico governor doesn't get a ton of Beltway attention, and this week's debate reminded us that that's too bad. Diane Denish is absolutely taking it to Republican Susanna Martinez, calling her out as one of those Republicans who talks a tough game, but doesn't exactly live up to her own hype.

I love watching our women work together. It's truly remarkable to see how much our women -- in Congress, governor's mansions, and state legislatures -- have accomplished, especially when they band together to make progressive change.

While excitement fueled by hate and anger tend to run high at rallies hosted by tea-partiers, we were shocked when we heard about this comment from a participant in a tea party rally in Washington state last week, attended by hundreds of activists, calling for the hanging of Senator Patty Murray. The tea-party spokesperson compared Senator Murray to the character of Jake from “Lonesome Dove” and said: “What happened to Jake when he ran with the wrong crowd? He got hung (sic). And that’s what I want to do with Patty Murray.”