ICYMI: EMILYs List Candidates Endorsed By Local Editorial Boards
For Immediate Release
October 16, 2018
ICYMI: EMILYs List Candidates Endorsed By Local Editorial Boards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With Election Day only three weeks away, EMILYs List candidates have been racking up endorsements from their local newspaper editorial boards. Our candidates have strong ties to their communities and have proven – either as incumbents currently in office or as challengers with established resumes – that they are highly qualified to represent their districts and states. EMILYs List is proud to support all of our impressive candidates and we will continue working hard to help them win their races.
*This is only a selection of editorial board endorsements of EMILYs List candidates, not a complete list.
Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM Governor)
“Lujan Grisham has offered a comprehensive plan for how she intends to govern, that is impressive in both its detail and scope. Instead of simply laying out aspirational goals, the plan explains the specific steps to be taken to achieve those goals. It focuses mostly on jobs and the economy, which must be the top priority for whoever the next governor will be. But is also includes plans to address gun violence, fire policy, combating the opioid epidemic and the rising crime rate.”
Las Cruces Sun News, 10/14/18
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA)
“Feinstein’s strengths — her smarts and gravitas, her strong relationships with senators from both parties, her deep knowledge of national security issues, her history of getting things done instead of grandstanding — were on admirable display in her two recent interviews with the U-T Editorial Board. These strengths always were likely to secure her another term in the Senate. If voters prefer a male Democrat who would cruelly exploit a woman reporting a sexual assault for political purposes, then that’s a step back for politics and the #MeToo movement.”
San Diego Union Tribune, 9/21/18
Sen. Claire McCaskill (MO)
“Incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill has a long record of service in elective office. Her bipartisan voting record reflects the moderate political tendencies of Missouri voters. She is tough, well-versed on a broad array of domestic and international issues, and proudly stands her ground in the male-dominated world of Capitol Hill politics. […] Hawley, with less than two years in office, is too inexperienced, veers dangerously toward political extremism, and is about as sincere as a used-car salesman. He hasn’t come close to earning the office he seeks, much less the one he currently occupies in Jefferson City.”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/13/18
Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) and Cindy Axne (IA-03)
“Some have argued that this election should be a referendum on President Trump. We disagree. This is about Congress, which has abdicated much of its constitutional duty and has failed to provide a check and balance to the executive branch. […] Nothing short of a change in party leadership in Congress will move this country forward. That’s why we’re recommending that Iowa voters send home Reps. Rod Blum, David Young and Steve King and return Rep. Dave Loebsack to the House.”
Des Moines Register, 10/13/18
Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
“We have endorsed Hultgren in the past, but we can’t this year. On key issues such as health care, tax cuts that favor the wealthiest Americans and lax gun laws, we believe he is increasingly out of step with a majority of 14th District voters. Hultgren’s district leans Republican, but no longer by much. And now that the district is more competitive, especially in this potential ‘blue wave’ year, it finally has attracted a highly qualified and credible Democratic alternative — Underwood.”
Chicago Sun-Times, 10/7/18
Kristen Carlson (FL-15)
“Carlson’s long history as an advocate for agriculture and as a public servant protecting the community and the economy gives her a solid grounding to take on Washington. She is well familiar with the growing communities of Plant City, Brandon and Temple Terrace. She also would be a guardian for seniors, farmers and working families across the board. Spano would be little more than another Republican enabler for an unpredictable president.”
Tampa Bay Times, 10/3/18
Lauren Baer (FL-18)
“With the House likely flipping in November — and maybe even the Senate — Baer would be in a much better position to keep Congress’ attention on solving the (toxic algae) issue. What’s more, she has made access to affordable health care a cornerstone of her campaign. She would be a reliable vote to protect essential Obamacare provisions such as pre-existing conditions.”
Palm Beach Post, 10/8/18
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26)
“But as [Carlos Curbelo] works to distance himself from President Trump, he has voted with the president, and policies that stand to do damage to his constituents, more than 80 percent of the time. As well-intended as he has been during his two terms in Congress, we think that his opponent, Debbie Mucarel-Powell is the realer deal for District 26 and will advocate for its residents’ everyday interests.”
Miami Herald, 10/14/18
Donna Shalala (FL-27)
“Donna Shalala is a problem solver, resolute, focused and effective. […] We’re betting that Shalala will be able to cut through the partisan crap that has kept Congress hostile, stymied and ineffective in tackling the big issues that touch every Americans’ life.”
Miami Herald, 10/14/18
Kathleen Williams (MT-AL)
“Williams has a long record of working in the Montana Legislature, both as a staff member and as three-term representative from Bozeman. During that time, she demonstrated a willingness to work with legislators from both parties to find common ground on important issues. […] She is smart and thoughtful and appears to us to have the even-keeled temperament lacking from many who currently serve in Congress.”
Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 10/12/18
Jana Lynne Sanchez (TX-06)
“Jana Lynne Sanchez, 54, supports practical solutions to addressing the security risk posed by our immigration rules. She also supports the military contracting jobs in her district and calls for a balanced approach to protecting the environment and growing industry.”
Dallas Morning News, 9/18/18
Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (TX-07)
“Rarely do we meet a first-time candidate so well prepared, so knowledgeable about the job, so right for the district. […] More than longtime Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John Culberson, or even her opponents from the heated Democratic primary, Fletcher understands this diverse, changing district and has demonstrated a passion for putting its residents ahead of rank partisanship.”
Houston Chronicle, 10/6/18
Eleni Kounalakis (CA Lieutenant Governor)
“Kounalakis is uniquely qualified to use the bully pulpit of lieutenant governor — a primarily ceremonial position with no real authority — to effectively tackle two of California’s most pressing problems: housing and homelessness […] These are far from the only duties of a lieutenant governor, of course. But together, they are a big reason we recommend Kounalakis over her challenger, longtime state Sen. Ed Hernandez.”
The Sacramento Bee, 10/1/2018
Nikki Fried (FL Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services)
“Florida’s agriculture commissioner does so much more than boost the state’s farming community. That’s why Nikki Fried, a Miami-born Democrat, is the right person to fill this important job. Fried brings a wealth of ideas to propel the department forward and to better fulfill its role.”
Miami Herald, 9/27/2018
Deidre DeJear (IA Secretary of State)
“In a political season mired by confusion over voting requirements, Iowa is ready for a new election chief. Deidre DeJear, the Democratic challenger in this year’s secretary of state race, exhibits an inspiring passion for voter engagement. She helped lead former President Barack Obama’s Iowa turnout efforts in 2012, helping register thousands of new voters, then going on to organize successful school board campaigns. She’s running to help make our elections secure and accessible to all Iowans.”
The Gazette, 10/14/2018
Jocelyn Benson (MI Secretary of State)
“No candidate in recent memory has prepared more diligently or methodically than Jocelyn Benson has to assume the responsibilities of the secretary of state's office. She seems likely to become the sort of leader whose own example and best practices future aspirants to statewide office will want to study and emulate.”
Detroit Free Press, 10/14/2018
Julie Blaha (MN State Auditor)
“In a competitive race with two excellent candidates, Blaha's decisiveness, enthusiasm, dynamic leadership, and desire for the job set her apart. So does her belief in the unifying power of reliable data — perhaps not so geeky, after all, in the face of deep divides.”
Duluth News Tribune, 10/9/2018
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.
