EMILYs List Statement on Michigan GOP Chairman’s Violent Remarks Against Democratic Women
For Immediate Release
March 29, 2021
EMILYs List Statement on Michigan GOP Chairman’s Violent Remarks Against Democratic Women
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List, the nation's largest resource for women in politics, released the following statement following Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser’s remarks referring to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as ‘three witches’ and calling for them to be “softened up” so that they are “ready for the burning at the stake”:
“Anyone who perpetuates or glorifies violence has no place in politics. How many women have to be threatened, harassed, and accosted before Republicans realize their words have consequences? It’s time for those who continue to push violence as a political strategy to be held accountable and voted out of office. We are grateful for Michigan Democratic women who will not be scared out of doing their jobs and representing our communities, and EMILYs List will stand with them every step of the way.” Weiser’s remarks follow several other dangerous scenarios in Michigan in the past year. In 2020, a group of 14 men were caught and charged for plotting to violently overthrow the Michigan government and kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A few months later, armed protestors showed up at Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s home while she was decorating for the holidays with her 4-year-old son, forcing Benson and her son to hide in the basement while they called for help. During the stay at home orders as a result of the spread of COVID-19, heavily armed protestors carried signs that said “Tyrants Get The Rope.”
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $700 million to elect Democratic pro-choice 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 and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running nearly $50 million in independent expenditures in the last cycle alone, and turning out women voters and voters of color to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country's first woman as vice president, 157 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and more than 1,300 women to state and local office. More than 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. After the 2016 election, more than 60,000 women 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. In our effort to elect more women in offices across the country, we have created our Run to Win program, expanded our training program, including a Training Center online, and trained thousands of women.
