EMILYs List Congratulates Hala Ayala

For Immediate Release

June 8, 2021

EMILYs List Congratulates Hala Ayala on her Victory in the Primary Election for the Virginia Lieutenant Governor Race 

Today, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, congratulated Hala Ayala on her primary election victory in the race for lieutenant governor of Virginia. Emily Cain, executive director of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“The EMILYs List community is thrilled to congratulate Hala Ayala on her primary election victory. Hala is a trailblazer who, after becoming the first Afro-Latina elected to the Virginia House, has worked tirelessly for reproductive freedom, expanding Medicaid, raising teacher pay, and strengthening gun safety measures. Hala is a champion for women and families, and EMILYs List is proud to continue supporting her campaign to become the first woman lieutenant governor of Virginia.” 

EMILYs List donated $60,000 in support of Hala Ayala’s primary campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia. EMILYs List staff also volunteered remotely for Hala’s campaign and served as advisors in fundraising and strategy as part of the overall support offered to EMILYs List-endorsed candidates in order to elect more Democratic pro-choice women. 

Hala Ayala currently represents the 51st district in the Virginia House of Delegates. Growing up, Hala’s family struggled to make ends meet. When she was pregnant and in a job that didn’t offer health insurance, she qualified for Medicaid which provided health care for her and her son. Hala went on to build a career as a single working mom and spent over 20 years as a cybersecurity specialist with the Department of Homeland Security, where she worked to protect our nation’s information systems and prevent attacks on our national security. In 2013, Hala completed her college degree online while working full time. In 2017, she ran for Virginia’s 51st House District and won against a four-term Republican incumbent, making her a key part of the new Democratic majority. 

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.