State Senator Jennifer McClellan Nominated for EMILYs List’s Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star
April 10, 2017
Virginia State Senator Jennifer McClellan Nominated for EMILYs List’s Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced that Virginia state Senator Jennifer McClellan is a 2017 nominee for their Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.
Named in honor of the dedicated and courageous Gabrielle Giffords, the Rising Star Award celebrates an extraordinary woman serving in state or local office. The award honors a woman who demonstrates the sort of commitment to community, dedication to women and families, and determination and civility that have been the highlights of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ career, in and out of office. Previous Rising Star Award recipients include Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams in 2014, Boston City Councilwoman Ayanna Pressley in 2015, and Colorado House Speaker Crisanta Duran in 2016.
“Jennifer is a fearless champion for all Virginians,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List. “Her dedication to improving her local community has left a major impact in the lives of women and families across her home state. Her civil rights activism and focus on providing support to survivors of sexual violence makes her an invaluable leader in the Virginia state Senate. The EMILYs List community is proud to recognize her leadership and nominate her for the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.”
Jennifer McClellan was elected to the Virginia state Senate in January 2017. She serves on the agriculture, conservation and natural resources, local government, and transportation committees; chairs the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission; co-chairs the Capital Region Caucus; and is a member of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and the Southern Regional Education Board Legislative Advisory Council.
The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award winner will be chosen with community input.
Jennifer McClellan is nominated alongside:
- Teresa Benitez-Thompson, Nevada Assembly Majority Leader
- Coral Evans, Mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona
- Nicole Galloway, Missouri State Auditor
- Lorena González, Seattle City Councilmember
- Helen Gym, Philadelphia Councilwoman
EMILY’s 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 trained nearly 10,000 women to run and 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 EMILY’s List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color – including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic congresswoman currently serving.
