• Press Release

EMILYs List State Power Plan Targets North Carolina In $15 Million Plan to Build Democratic Governing Majorities in 2026

January 21, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today EMILYs List announced North Carolina as a key target in its 2026 State Power Plan, a bold and dynamic $15 million plan to secure Democratic governing majorities across nine key states by recruiting, investing in, and supporting women candidates up and down the ballot in 2026.

“The Republican chaos coming out of Washington is wreaking havoc on North Carolinians. Democrats need governing power in order to hold the line against Republicans’ assault on the economy, our health care, and our everyday lives. EMILYs List is taking an aggressive approach to building Democrats’ state power in North Carolina with bold candidates who know exactly what’s at stake,” said EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler.

State Power Plan Highlights

  • Reelecting Justice Anita Earls is a top priority in this state as we work to build a progressive majority on the state supreme court in 2028. At the state legislative level, Democratic women will be at the center of efforts to break the Republican supermajority in the state Senate and hold that veto power in the state House. EMILYs List remains committed to multi-cycle work in this critical state in 2026 and 2028. 

  • To date, EMILYs List-endorsed candidates in North Carolina include: 

Anita Earls, North Carolina Supreme Court
Jessica Bichler, North Carolina Senate (SD-07)
Lisa Grafstein, North Carolina Senate (SD-13)
April Cook, North Carolina Senate (SD-34)
Woodson Bradley, North Carolina Senate (SD-42)
Evonne Hopkins, North Carolina House (HD-35)
Amy Taylor North, North Carolina House (HD-74)
Beth Helfrich, North Carolina House (HD-98)
Lindsey Prather, North Carolina House (HD-115)
Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte (Won)

  • Fueled by our clean sweep across Virginia and New Jersey in 2025, EMILYs List is focusing on building governing power in nine states with overlapping electoral imperatives this cycle, from electing governors, attorneys general, secretaries of state, and state legislative majorities, to winning state supreme court races that position Democratic pro-choice women to make an immediate impact and build for future cycles.

  • Races in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin represent the foundation of our work this cycle. These nine key states are places where we are already using our deep expertise and innovative tactics to recruit strong candidates and help them build strategic, winning campaigns. They are where EMILYs List investments will make the greatest impact in coming out of this cycle with governing majorities. 

  • In addition to securing Democratic centers of power that make an immediate impact, EMILYs List will take the offensive in other state races to build a backstop to Republican extremism. That includes: holding onto a governing coalition in the Alaska House; breaking the Republican supermajority in the Kansas House; preventing a Republican supermajority in the Nebraska Senate; flipping both chambers in New Hampshire’s state legislature; and flipping state supreme court seats in states like Ohio, Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, and Montana.

  • We know that the key to winning in 2026 will be a dynamic approach to this work, one in which we will continually evaluate and examine places and races where we have real opportunities to achieve governing power in November 2026.

# # #