EMILYs List Statement on VA-07 Democratic Primary

For Immediate Release
June 11, 2018

EMILYs List Statement on VA-07 Democratic Primary

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an interview with The Washington Post, Dan Ward, a Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, claimed that “gender is really the only reason why” fellow Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has received national attention ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Christina Reynolds, vice president of communications at EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“Abigail Spanberger is receiving national attention because she’s an incredibly qualified candidate running a strong campaign. For her opponent to complain that it’s only because she’s a woman is completely ridiculous and shows how worried he is about losing the primary tomorrow. While he makes baseless complaints, EMILY's List is proud to stand with Abigail, as she travels through the district to prove to voters that she’s the best candidate to fight for them in Congress.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.