EMILYs List Endorses Kamala Harris for Vice President

For Immediate Release
August 31, 2020

EMILYs List Endorses Kamala Harris for Vice President 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Senator Kamala Harris for vice president of the United States. The first of its kind for EMILYs List, the endorsement is based on Harris’ experience as a leader in California and in the U.S. Senate on a variety of issues, her tireless advocacy for women and civil rights, and her skill at holding the Trump administration accountable. 

EMILYs List President Stephanie Schriock released the following statement:

“Kamala Harris is a fighter for the people, a key voice in the U.S. Senate, and an experienced partner for Vice President Biden who will be ready to lead on day one. EMILYs List has been with Senator Harris at the local, state, and federal level and we know firsthand what an asset she is to the ticket and all Democrats on the ballot. We are thrilled to be with her as she breaks this next glass ceiling.

“Black women like Senator Harris have led this party forward, and they continue to be the party’s backbone. Women have driven the resistance to the Trump administration in government and as activists, and women voters will decide this election. Senator Harris has been a supporter of so many women running around the country and an inspiration to so many of us. I am honored to call Senator Harris my friend and I cannot wait to see her leadership at the highest levels of the administration.”

EMILY’S List has supported Kamala Harris throughout her career as San Francisco’s district attorney, California’s first woman attorney general, and as a U.S. senator. In 2010, she became the first Black person and South Asian American to hold office in the history of California. As the attorney general of California, she took on the big banks during the housing crisis and championed legalization of same-sex marriage, advancing LGBTQ+ rights across the state.

In 2016, Kamala broke barriers again, becoming only the second Black woman and first Indian American woman elected to the U.S Senate. In that role, she has fought to protect the ACA and ensure universal health coverage for every American, including reintroducing the Maternal CARE Act to help establish health equity for pregnant Black women.

Senator Harris has also been a powerful voice for DACA recipients and domestic workers.  Her first bill as a U.S. Senator sought to ensure that anyone detained while attempting to enter the United States would have access to counsel. She also introduced the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), the first ever national legislation to ensure the rights and protections of millions of domestic workers. Vice President Biden has called for this legislation to be passed in his new Build Back Better plan.

In the Senate and on the campaign trail, Senator Harris has spoken out for working class families and championed an economic message of inclusion. EMILYs List is proud to endorse her for this history-making race.

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 55,000 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.