EMILYs List Endorses Shemia Fagan for Oregon Secretary of State

For Immediate Release

May 13, 2020

EMILYs List Endorses Shemia Fagan for Oregon Secretary of State

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Shemia Fagan for Oregon secretary of state. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement: 

“EMILYs List is thrilled to endorse Shemia Fagan for Oregon secretary of state. Shemia is a powerful advocate for vulnerable communities and a proven fighter for progress. A civil rights attorney who has served on the David Douglas School Board and in the Oregon State House and Senate, she has dedicated her career to serving others. As secretary of state, Shemia will increase government accountability, expand economic opportunity, and ensure that all Oregonians have a voice at the ballot box and beyond. There’s no doubt she will be an excellent secretary of state and we are proud to support her candidacy.” 

Raised by her father in Dufur and The Dalles, Oregon, Shemia learned to fight for progress as a young girl watching her mother fight addiction. Shemia credits her fourth grade teacher for her success. After working her way through college and law school, she became a civil rights attorney and has worked to expand access to health care, secure LGBTQ+ equality, and increase housing affordability. Shemia knows how to run and win the tough fights, having unseated several incumbents throughout her career in public service. She currently represents District 24 in the Oregon State Senate.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 50,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices.