EMILYs List Endorses MJ Hegar in Texas’ 31st District

For Immediate Release
July 13, 2018

EMILYs List Endorses MJ Hegar in Texas' 31st District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed MJ Hegar for Congress in Texas’ 31st Congressional District. Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“MJ Hegar has fought for our country, fought for women, and now is running to fight for Texans in Congress. As an Air Force veteran who served three tours in Afghanistan, MJ received a Purple Heart after her helicopter was shot down. Unable to fly due to serious injuries, MJ realized that her options for a ground combat job were limited because she is a woman. She spent several years fighting to change the rules, and was ultimately successful in convincing the Department of Defense to overturn its discriminatory gender policy. Now, she’s ready to bring that determination and commitment with her to change Congress.

“MJ is running against incumbent Congressman John Carter, a Tea Party extremist who hasn’t faced a tough re-election fight in years. MJ’s candidacy changes that. Voters in the 31st District finally have the opportunity to elect a representative who will fight for their interests, not special interests. Let’s show this military hero and champion for change the full support of the EMILYs List community and do everything we can to help her flip this seat.”

MJ Hegar was raised in the Texas Hill Country and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin before enlisting in the Air Force. She served three tours in Afghanistan as a rescue helicopter pilot until her helicopter was shot down by enemy fire, after which she was awarded a Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for her bravery and heroism. She then discovered that her options for a non-combat military job were limited because she is a woman and joined the ACLU in successfully petitioning the U.S. Department of Defense to overturn the Combat Exclusion Policy. MJ published a memoir in 2016, and a film adaptation is currently in production. She currently lives in Round Rock with her husband, two toddlers and three stepkids.

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.