EMILYs List to Invest $2.1 Million in Effort to Flip Virginia General Assembly from Red to Blue

For Immediate Release

October 7, 2019

EMILYs List to Invest $2.1 Million in Effort to Flip Virginia General Assembly from Red to Blue

Largest investment in state legislative races in EMILYs List history will include $1.5 million in direct campaign contributions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced plans to spend $2.1 million in the effort to flip the Virginia General Assembly from red to blue and increase the number of pro-choice, Democratic women serving in the House of Delegates and state Senate. This historic $2.1 million investment is part of EMILYs List’s ongoing effort to flip legislative chambers. 

Building on the tremendous success EMILYs List state legislative candidates saw in Virginia in 2017 – and across the country in 2018 – the organization is continuing to expand its footprint in state-level races. 

“Virginia is at a turning point, and in 29 days, millions of voters will head to the polls in an election that will have a lasting impact on future generations and set the momentum for upcoming state legislative races across the country,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List. 

“As we make our largest ever investment in a single state’s legislative elections, EMILYs List has endorsed a record 39 women who are leading the charge for a more inclusive, open, and fairer Virginia. We are hopeful that other individuals and organizations will follow our lead in directing their energy and support to these incredibly important state legislative races that too often remain underresourced and underfunded.”  

Following the historic victories in 2017, Democrats broke the Republican near-supermajority in the House of Delegates and came within two seats of taking control of the chamber by electing a record number of women. In November, Virginia has state elections again and every seat in both chambers is up for election. In the 2019 legislative session, extreme lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Virginia General Assembly derailed several commonsense bills including legislation to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, expand access to the ballot box, and strengthen gun safety protections. The Virginia General Assembly also has a direct impact on redistricting and ensuring that legislative and congressional districts drawn in 2021 are fair and representative of voters.

In addition to the $1.5 million in campaign contributions, EMILYs List previously announced a $600,000 digital partnership with Priorities USA focused on voter persuasion and mobilization in key districts across the state. Digital ads officially launched on October 2nd. Beyond this unprecedented financial investment, EMILYs List continues to work directly with candidates and their teams to provide political, fundraising, and communications support. Overall, the organization has committed to investing $20 million in the effort to hold majorities and flip state legislative chambers across the country in the 2019 and 2020 election cycles.

This cycle EMILYs List has endorsed 39 pro-choice, Democratic women for the General Assembly: Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD-02); Wendy Gooditis (HD-10), Danica Roem (HD-13), Kelly Fowler (HD-21), Elizabeth Guzman (HD-31), Mavis Taintor (HD-33), Kathleen Murphy (HD-34), Kaye Kory (HD-38), Vivian Watts (HD-39), Eileen Filler-Corn (HD-41), Kathy Tran (HD-42), Charniele Herring (HD-46), Hala Ayala (HD-51), Sally Hudson (HD-57), Lindsey Dougherty (HD-62), Lashrecse Aird (HD-63), Sheila Bynum-Coleman (HD-66), Karrie Delaney (HD-67), Dawn Adams (HD-68), Betsy Carr (HD-69), Delores McQuinn (HD-70), Nancy Guy (HD-83), Karen Mallard (HD-84), Martha Mugler (HD-91), Jeion Ward (HD-92), Shelly Simonds (HD-94), Marcia (Cia) Price (HD-95), Mamie Locke (SD-02), Cheryl Turpin (SD-07), Missy Cotter Smasal (SD-08), Jennifer McClellan (SD-09), Ghazala Hashmi (SD-10), Amanda Pohl (SD-11), Debra Rodman (SD-12), Amy Laufer (SD-17), L. Louise Lucas (SD-18), Barbara Favola (SD-31), Janet Howell (SD-32), and Jennifer Boysko (SD-33).

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 48,000 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.