EMILYs List Endorses MJ Hegar for U.S. Senate in Texas

For Immediate Release
March 5, 2020

EMILYs List Endorses MJ Hegar for U.S. Senate in Texas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed MJ Hegar for U.S. Senate in Texas. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“MJ Hegar is a fearless leader dedicated to serving her country. A Purple Heart recipient who served three tours in Afghanistan, MJ successfully petitioned the U.S. Department of Defense to repeal the combat exclusion policy limiting women’s opportunities for military advancement. She’s fought for working families and women across the nation, and now she’s fighting to represent Texans in the Senate. 

“MJ is challenging incumbent Republican John Cornyn, who has spent nearly two decades in Washington putting special interests above the interests of those he was elected to serve. MJ is a champion for change, and EMILYs List is proud to support her campaign to flip this Senate seat.” 

MJ Hegar is an Air Force combat veteran running to fight for Texas working families in the U.S. Senate. Raised in Texas’ Hill Country, MJ grew up dreaming of serving our country as a military pilot. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she enlisted in the Air Force and began training to fly. MJ went on to serve three tours in Afghanistan as a rescue helicopter pilot until her helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. She was awarded a Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for her bravery and heroism. She soon discovered that her options for a ground combat military job were limited because she is a woman. MJ partnered with the ACLU to successfully petition the U.S. Department of Defense to overturn the limitations. MJ currently lives in Round Rock with her husband, two young sons, and three stepchildren.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 50,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state and national offices.