40,000+ Democratic Women Want to Run for Office

For Immediate Release 
July 2, 2018 

40,000+ Democratic Women Want to Run for Office
As pro-choice Democratic women win elections across the country, thousands more are inspired to run themselves

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced that over 40,000 women have contacted the organization about running for office since the 2016 election. In comparison, 920 women reached out to EMILYs List during the entire 2016 election cycle. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“Women are watching. They’re watching as Republicans across the country threaten to overturn Roe v. Wade, strip health care away from millions of Americans, and slash our civil rights. They’re watching as Donald Trump praises dictators and tweets insults at our allies; endangering our national security. And they’re watching as Democratic women win in primaries and special elections all across the country in numbers we’ve never seen before. That’s why over 40,000 women have reached out to EMILYs List about running for office — because they too want to be a part of the powerful movement shaping our country this year and in cycles to come. These women will save the world and change the face of politics forever.”

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.