EMILYs List Announces Four Georgia Special Election Endorsements
October 19, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILY's List, the nation's largest resource for women in politics, announced their endorsement of four candidates currently running in special elections in Georgia. Deborah Gonzalez (HD-117), Jen Jordan (SD-06), Bee Nguyen (HD-89), and Nikema Williams (SD-39) are running in the November 7th election. Lucinda Guinn, vice president of campaigns at EMILYs List, released the following statement:
“In Georgia, state Republicans have continued to enact far-right policies simply because they can. For years the balance of power has tilted dramatically in their favor. However, this election will give voters a chance to right this ship. It's time that the working families of the state have a voice, and that is what these four women would bring to these positions. Deborah Gonzalez, Jen Jordan, Bee Nguyen, and Nikema Williams are smart, passionate leaders who will fight for those who feel left behind by their state legislature. EMILY's List knows that these women are the future of Georgia politics, and that is why we are showing our strong support by enthusiastically endorsing their candidacies.”
Deborah Gonzalez has a long history of protecting children and families and implementing an innovative approach to problem solving. She is an attorney and entrepreneur and has written a book about personal security in the internet age. Throughout her career she has utilized her legal expertise to advocate for causes she cares about – including ending child sex trafficking – and hosting information sessions to empower creative people with knowledge of the First Amendment. She is running for an open seat, vacated by a Republican.
Jen Jordan was raised in Georgia by a single mom who taught her the importance of hard work. She’s a product of the Georgia public school system and a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law. She’s been living in the sixth district for more than 15 years and has used her legal expertise to fight for fairness. Jen is a founding partner of an all-woman-owned law firm in Atlanta. She has sued health care and insurance companies for fraud and payday lenders for predatory consumer practices. She also sued the Georgia secretary of state for a data breach that risked the personal information of over six million Georgians. Jen is running for this open seat, previously held by a Republican.
Bee Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and the founder of a successful nonprofit. She is one of five daughters raised by resourceful parents who believed education was the only way to escape poverty. That lesson has stayed with her, and is why she founded Athena’s Warehouse, an organization dedicated to educating, empowering, and mentoring underserved young women in the Atlanta metro area. She has dedicated her life to social justice work: lobbying for sexual assault survivors and organizing dialogues about topics like race and public education. Bee served as campaign manager for the first openly gay man elected to the Georgia House, and now she’s running for office herself in an open seat that was vacated by a Democrat.
Nikema Williams has been an advocate for women and families in Georgia for 15 years. She is a southern native who was raised by her grandparents on a farm in rural Alabama. Nikema is the vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood Southeast, where she has fought on behalf of her community for access to affordable health care. She also serves on the advisory board of SCLC W.O.M.E.N. Inc, a civil rights group dedicated to offering intergenerational programs to empower women, girls, and families on issues like human rights, social action, economic self-sufficiency, and the reduction of health disparities. She is running for an open seat, vacated by a Democrat.
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.
