EMILYs List Congratulates Wendy Carrillo on Victory in California AD-51
December 6, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, released the following statement congratulating Wendy Carrillo on her victory in California’s Assembly District 51.
“Wendy Carrillo will be a strong, progressive voice for working women and families in the California legislature as she fights for economic security, reproductive health care, women's equality, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights, and environmental justice, said EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock. “At a time where there are fewer women in the California legislature than a decade ago, EMILY's List is thrilled to see Wendy continue her work helping hardworking families, lead the charge to increase women's representation and bring a much-needed voice to state government.”
EMILY's List endorsed Wendy Carrillo in early September ahead of her October special election victory. Wendy is a community activist and formerly undocumented immigrant. As a child, her family emigrated to East Los Angeles from El Salvador, fleeing civil war and violence. After becoming a U.S. citizen in her early 20s, Wendy built a career as a respected journalist and radio host, most notably as the host and executive producer of “Knowledge is Power,” a show on Los Angeles Power 106FM which tackled social justice issues in the community. She also served on the communications team for SEIU ULTCW, where she fought for fair wages for caregivers, immigration reform, and health care for all. Most recently, Wendy co-founded Reported.ly, a social media start-up covering human rights, global conflict, and social movements. In 2016, she spent two months covering the Standing Rock protests against the North Dakota Access Pipeline, a movement started by Native American indigenous women.
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.
