EMILYs List Endorses Brittany Pettersen for Congress in Colorado’s 7th District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Brittany Pettersen for Congress in Colorado’s 7th District. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“EMILYs List is excited to announce our endorsement of Brittany Pettersen, a passionate young leader who will bring a much-needed perspective to Washington for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List. “Brittany’s story is one of perseverance and hard work. Growing up in a family that struggled with addiction, Brittany went to work at age 12 to help her family make ends meet. Instead of letting her situation beat her down, Brittany worked relentlessly to become the first member of her family to graduate from high school and college. She understands tough times and what it feels like to have the deck stacked against you.”

 “With so much at stake, the people of the 7th District cannot afford to have their congressional seat fall into the hands of a Trump Republican. They deserve a leader like Brittany, who will fight to protect access to health care, defend against the effects of climate change, and work to make college more affordable. We at EMILYs List have been impressed and inspired by Brittany’s commitment and determination, and look forward to seeing her beat back Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda while being a strong advocate for public education, health care, and reproductive rights in Congress.”

Brittany has dedicated her career to civic engagement, building community, and public service. In addition to working on President Obama’s historic 2008 campaign, she has worked to engage a new generation of Coloradans in their democracy through voter registration and advocacy before stepping up to put her own name on the ballot. In 2012, she ran a successful grassroots campaign in a competitive race for the Colorado House of Representatives — and became the youngest woman in the state legislature.  A powerful advocate for policies that give Colorado women and families a fair shot, Brittany is serving her third term in the Colorado House and she is running for Congress to give regular people a voice in Washington. 

Brittany overcame tremendous challenges with the help of dedicated teachers and strong public schools, and she is a champion for policies that expand Colorado students’ access to the quality education they need to thrive. She has sponsored the Middle Class College Savings Act and the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative to help more Colorado students attend college, and she currently serves as chair of the Colorado House Education Committee. When elected to Congress, she will continue her life’s work of advocating for students and teachers. A fierce advocate for women’s rights, this pro-choice champion has sponsored legislation to increase access to contraception and fights for policies to combat gender discrimination in pay. Brittany is determined to increase access to healthcare — including mental health and addiction services — that are out of reach for too many Coloradans. An experienced community leader and legislator, she is ready to take her fight for women and families all the way to Washington.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.