EMILYs List Announces Nominees for EMILYs List’s Annual Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced the five nominees for the annual 2026 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award, an award that celebrates outstanding women serving in state or local office. This year’s nominees are Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, Georgia state Rep. Tanya Miller, Indiana state Rep. Carey Hamilton, Minnesota state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, and New Mexico state Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta.

“These five incredible women are trailblazers, not only stepping up to serve but tirelessly fighting to make life better for the people they represent at a time when Republicans are pushing an extreme agenda that harms their communities. I am thrilled to honor their extraordinary work and shine a light on their accomplishments. They are changing the face of power, providing the Democratic leadership we need for the fight ahead, and will ultimately be the leaders of the movement that saves our democracy. The future is bright with these women, and I know they are just getting started,” said EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler.

The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award winner will be chosen with community input. Online voting will open on March 23, and can be found here.

Mary Sheffield is a native Detroiter with a track record of service, empowerment, and leadership. Mayor Sheffield made history as the first woman elected mayor of Detroit, winning more than 77% of the vote. Her victory marked a defining moment for the city and reflected broad support for her vision of progress, equity and people-centered leadership. Raised in a family deeply rooted in service and social justice, Mayor Sheffield was inspired by leaders committed to advancing opportunity like her grandfather, Horace Sheffield Jr., founder of the Detroit Trade Union Labor Council and Detroit Association of Black Organizations, her father, Rev. Horace Sheffield II, a longtime community organizer, and her mother, Yvonne Lovett, a nurse, who instilled in her the importance of compassionate service. Mayor Sheffield began her public service career in 2013 as the youngest person ever elected to the Detroit City Council, representing District 5 at 26 years old. During her tenure as council president, Mayor Sheffield had one of the most historic and impactful legislative careers in the history of the Detroit City Council — fighting tirelessly against discrimination in the workplace and providing affordable housing. As mayor, she leads with vision, collaboration and deep belief in the people. Guided by her faith and driven by justice, she is focused on expanding economic opportunity, and ensuring access to essential services while building an inclusive and prosperous future for all Detroiters. In 2024, she was named one of the Michigan Chronicle’s 2024 Power 50 Leaders and received the Black United Fund’s 2024 Black Excellence Award.

Rep. Tanya Miller is a member of the Georgia state House of Representatives, representing District 62. She chairs the House Democratic Caucus and is running as a Democratic candidate for Georgia attorney general. Raised by her proud union member mother, she learned hard work and perseverance early in life, which started with a paper route at nine. She then worked her way through school, balancing jobs and motherhood on her path to becoming a lawyer. At Case Western Reserve School of Law, she excelled as notes editor of the Law Review, president of the Black Law Students Association, and executive director of the National BLSA. In 2022, in recognition of her career of service, she received her law school’s highest honor — induction into the Hall of Fame for “extraordinary achievement and dedication to the highest ideals of the legal profession.” As a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Rep. Miller built a national reputation for her fierce commitment to justice, fairness, and integrity with more than two decades of courtroom experience. She has fought for victims, defended constitutional rights and represented working families in wrongful death, personal injury, criminal defense, and civil rights cases, including police misconduct under Section 1983. Her career in public service started as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York, later continued as a Fulton County prosecutor handling homicides and crimes against women and children, before becoming a Georgia legislator. Today, she also continues to champion workers’ rights as general counsel to the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees. 

State Rep. Carey Hamilton is a member of the Indiana state House of Representatives, representing District 87. The daughter of a single mother and former latchkey kid, Rep. Hamilton has spent her career since being elected to the Indiana state House in 2016 fighting for the families of the North Side of Indianapolis like her own. She has stood against the dismantling of Indiana’s child care assistance program and the mass closure of child care centers that pushed working parents — especially mothers — out of the workforce. She has fought to expand access to pre-K for all, believing that every kid deserves a strong start regardless of background. She has championed clean air and water, building on a successful career fighting pollution and conserving resources before she ever set foot in the state House. Rep. Hamilton also recently authored laws to reform the criminal justice system, introducing a bill to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated Hoosiers reentering the workforce, and another to use advanced DNA testing to bring closure to families of cold case victims. As House Democratic Caucus chair, Hamilton is now focused on the biggest fight of her tenure — breaking the Republican supermajority that has blocked progress for Indiana’s working families, rolled back reproductive rights with the nation’s first post-Dobbs abortion ban, and left too many Hoosiers behind. As a leader in Indiana, Rep. Hamilton is doing the work to elect more Democrats, because she knows that the policies that help families thrive are only possible when they have more seats at the table.

Sen. Zaynab Mohamed represents Minnesota’s Senate District 63. Elected in 2022 with more votes than any other Minnesota state senator, she became the youngest person ever elected to the chamber, the first Somali American woman, and one of the first three Black women to serve in the Senate. She is a transformative leader who stands with her community during moments of crisis. During Operation Metro Surge, she supported neighbors by helping ensure families had food and could remain safely in their homes. She shows up consistently for her community — from standing with neighbors  after the ICE killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti to supporting families affected by the Annunciation Catholic School shooting. In her first term, Sen. Mohamed guaranteed every Minnesotan’s right to reproductive freedom and passed a nation-leading paid leave program. She has also been a strong advocate for immigrant communities, championing the right of all Minnesotans to obtain a driver’s license and pushing for affordable health care regardless of immigration status. Sen. Mohamed is leading the charge to protect Minnesotans from gun violence, as the lead author of legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Sen. Mohamed continues to push bold policies as co-chair of the Senate Working Group on Gun Violence Prevention, vice chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Committee, and chair of the Minnesota People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, and is only getting started in her career improving the lives of all Minnesotans.

Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta is a member of the Navajo Nation from To’Hajiilee, New Mexico, and the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 69. A lifelong Democrat and proud graduate of Emerge New Mexico’s Class of 2017, Rep. Abeyta was elected to the state House in 2024. Before her election, Rep. Abeyta centered her commitment to service and advocacy in her education, graduating from the University of New Mexico summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Native American studies and communication with a minor in geography. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, and a certificate in Indigenous peoples law & policy. In the legislature, she works every day to be a strong voice for the people of her district — advocating for investments in education, health care, infrastructure, and economic opportunity that deliver results for her constituents. Rep. Abeyta has also served on the To’Hajiilee Community School Board of Education, the National Native American Bar Association Board, and the National Native American Law Students Association. She currently serves as a Commissioner of the Navajo Nation Bar Association. Rep. Abeyta has dedicated her career to public service, and ensuring the voices of rural and tribal communities are heard at the Roundhouse. Her passion for and advocating for her community continues to guide her work as she fights for the people of her district and builds a stronger future for New Mexico.

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; former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx in 2018; former 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; Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell in 2023; Michigan state Sen. Sarah Anthony in 2024, and Virginia state Del. Adele McClure in 2025.   

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