EMILYs List Announces Nominees for 2024 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced its nominees for the 2024 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. The nominees are Arizona state Rep. Laura Terech, George state Sen. Nabilah Islam, Michigan state Sen. Sarah Anthony, Nevada state Assemblywoman Selena Torres, Pennsylvania state Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, Virginia state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, and Wisconsin state Assemblywoman and Minority Leader Greta Neubauer. Each of these nominees have been incredible legislators and role models, shattering glass ceilings and delivering results for their communities. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“At EMILYs List, we have worked with phenomenal women leaders for nearly 40 years and we have seen the impact that those women can have. This year’s class of Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Nominees are already making a huge difference in their work every day. These nominees have worked tirelessly to uplift marginalized communities, promote inclusivity, and change lives in their states. They embody everything the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award stands for, and EMILYs List is thrilled to be able to honor their many accomplishments. We look forward to seeing all that they will continue to do for their communities, for their states, and for the cause of reproductive freedom across the country.”
Named in honor of the dedicated and courageous Gabrielle Giffords, the Rising Star Award celebrates an extraordinary woman serving in state or local office. The award honors a woman who demonstrates the sort of commitment to community, dedication to women and families, and determination and civility that have been the highlights of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ career, in and out of office. Previous Rising Star Award recipients include: former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams in 2014; former Boston City Councilwoman, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley in 2015; former Colorado House Speaker Crisanta Duran in 2016; former Philadelphia City Councilwoman Helen Gym in 2017; Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in 2018; California Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo in 2019; former Ohio House Minority Leader, U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes in 2020; Harris County, Texas Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2021; former Georgia state Rep. Bee Nguyen in 2022; and Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell in 2023.
The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award winner will be chosen with community input. Online voting will open on Friday, March 15 and can be found here.
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Our work is centered around a fundamental vision: Run. Win. Change the World. EMILYs List has raised $850 million in service to that vision and has helped Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the largest independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 175 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,500 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.
