EMILYs List Endorses Connie Pillich for Governor of Ohio

For Immediate Release
February 6, 2018

EMILYs List Endorses Connie Pillich for Governor of Ohio

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Connie Pillich for governor of Ohio. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“Connie Pillich is an experienced and passionate leader who has taken on tough challenges and produced results. Throughout her time as an Air Force captain, a public defender, and a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, she has shown an ability to bring people together to make a difference. That's precisely what Ohio working families need after eight years of divisive Republican politics.

“Ohio has never before elected a woman governor, and it's beyond time to have a woman like Connie at the helm of the Buckeye State. With Republican state legislators pushing dangerous legislation that puts women's health care and economic well-being in jeopardy, it is vital that women have an ally in the corner office. Connie has always been a champion for women and families, which is why EMILY's List is proud to endorse her.”

When Connie was a teenager, the local steel mill began to close and many families had to leave in search of work, devastating the community. She found opportunity in an Air Force ROTC scholarship, and worked her way through college. Connie served in the U.S. Air Force on active duty for eight years, rising to the rank of captain and earning her MBA. At the height of the Cold War, she served in Berlin and also served in support of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield before moving to Cincinnati to be an Air Force recruiter. Connie met her husband two days after she arrived in Ohio, and earned her law degree to continue her life’s work of service as a civilian. She served as a public defender while raising her two children, and opened her own law practice to help senior citizens take on predatory lenders. She has served three terms in the Ohio House of Representatives and is a fierce champion for Buckeye State working families.

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.