• Press Release

EMILYs List Marks End of Candidate Recruitment Season for 2018 Elections, Reports Historic Number

July 23, 2018

For Immediate Release

July 23, 2018

EMILYs List Marks End of Candidate Recruitment Season for 2018 Elections, Reports Historic Number of Women Candidates for State Legislatures Across the Country

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the close of the nation’s final filing deadline of the 2018 election cycle in Louisiana on Friday, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, reported a historic number of women candidates running for state legislative offices nationwide. As a result of EMILY's List's extensive efforts in targeted states nationwide, pro-choice Democratic women, from farmers and scientists to small business owners and teachers, have filed to run for office, many for the first time, in over 1,200 critical races.

Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“For over a year, EMILYs List has been on the ground in states across the country, finding and empowering qualified women to run for local office and create change in their own backyards. At a time when Republican-controlled state legislatures are passing some of the strictest anti-choice, anti-women legislation we’ve seen in years and the fate of abortion rights hangs in the balance at the Supreme Court, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Families deserve to have pro-choice Democratic women at the table fighting for them in state government. EMILYs List is proud to stand with these women as they usher in and defend progress, chamber by chamber, nationwide.”

Background:

State legislatures are on the front lines of policies that affect working families every day, yet too few are actually representative of the people they serve. In fact, men currently make up the majority of every state legislature in the country. That won’t be the case for long if pro-choice Democratic women in 2018 have anything to say about it.

  • Arizona: 50.4% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 58 Democratic women, have filed to run in 86 of 90 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than half of Arizona’s 90-seat legislature.
  • California​​: 38% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 70 Democratic women, have filed to run in every seat up this cycle. Currently, women make up a quarter of California’s 120-seat legislature.
  • Colorado: 52% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 53 women, have filed to run in every seat up this cycle. Currently, women make up more than one third of Colorado’s 100-seat legislature.
  • Florida: 47% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 83 women, have filed to run in 133 out of 140 seats up this cycle, in addition to two vacant seats to be filled in November. Currently, women make up less than one third of Florida’s 160-seat legislature.
  • Georgia: 55% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 118 women, have filed to run in 160 of 236 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than a third of Georgia’s 236-seat legislature.
  • Iowa: 45% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 63 women, have filed to run in 117 of 125 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than a quarter of Iowa’s 150-seat legislature.
  • Illinois: 44% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 80 women, have filed to run in 135 of 157 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make more than one third of Illinois’ 177-seat legislature.
  • Massachusetts: 31% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 80 women, have filed to run in 183 of 200 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up close to a quarter of Massachusetts’ 200-seat legislature.
  • Maryland: 43% of Democratic candidates who  have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 145 women, have filed to run in 176 of 188 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up one third of Maryland’s 188-seat legislature.
  • Maine: 48% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 97 women, have filed to run in 180 of 186 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up just over a third of Maine’s 186-seat legislature.
  • Michigan: 41% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 132 women, have filed to run in every seat up this cycle. Currently, women make up a quarter of Michigan’s 148-seat legislature.
  • Minnesota House of Representatives: 46% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for the House of Representatives are women. Democratic candidates, including 76 women, have filed to run in every seat up this cycle. Currently, women make up more than one third of Minnesota’s 134-seat House of Representatives.
  • Missouri: 39% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 82 women, have filed to run in 162 of 180 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than a quarter of Missouri’s 197-seat legislature.
  • Montana:​​ 50% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 64 women, have filed to run in 107 of 125 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than one third of Montana’s 150-seat legislature.
  • North Carolina: 36% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 78 women, have filed to run in every up this cycle. Currently, women make up close to a quarter of North Carolina’s 170-seat legislature.
  • New Hampshire: 53% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 192 women, have filed to run in 409 of 424 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than one third of New Hampshire’s 424-seat legislature.
  • New Mexico House of Representatives: 46% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for the House of Representatives are women. Democratic candidates, including 35 women, have filed to run in 57 of 70 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up more than one third of New Mexico’s 70-seat House of Representatives.
  • Nevada: 47% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 39 women, have filed to run in 48 of 53 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up more than one third of Nevada’s 63-seat legislature.
  • Ohio: 38% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 67 women, have filed to run in every seat up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than a quarter of Ohio’s 132-seat legislature.
  • Oregon: 48% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 43 women, have filed to run in 71 of 75 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up exactly one third of Oregon’s 90-seat legislature.
  • Pennsylvania:​​ 34% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 96 women, have filed to run in 204 of 228 up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than one-fifth of Pennsylvania’s 253-seat legislature.
  • Washington: 49% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for state legislative offices are women. Democratic candidates, including 72 women, have filed to run in 121 of 123 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up more than one third of Washington’s 147-seat legislature.
  • Wisconsin: 41% of Democratic candidates who have filed to run for office are women. Democratic candidates, including 59 women, have filed to run for 108 of 116 seats up this cycle. Currently, women make up less than a quarter of Wisconsin’s 132-seat legislature.

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.