Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson Nominated for EMILYs List’s Rising Star Award
April 10, 2017
Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson 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 Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson 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.
“Teresa is a fearless champion for women and families,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List. “Her support for parental resources, quality public education, and equal rights illustrate her deep commitment to improving the overall quality of life for Nevadans. The EMILYs List community is proud to recognize Teresa’s dedication to public service as we nominate her for the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.”
Teresa Benitez-Thompson is the first Latina to serve as the majority leader in the Nevada Assembly. As a social worker, mom, and proud Nevadan, Teresa is committed to knocking down barriers that stand in women's way because she knows when women do better, families do better. Teresa is fighting to end Nevada’s rape kit backlog, keep access to birth control affordable and convenient, and ensure women have multiple seats at the table. She is the present and future of the Democratic Party.
The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award winner will be chosen with community input.
Teresa Benitez-Thompson is nominated alongside:
- Coral Evans, Mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona
- Nicole Galloway, Missouri State Auditor
- Lorena González, Seattle City Councilmember
- Helen Gym, Philadelphia City Councilwoman
- Jennifer McClellan, Virginia State Senator
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 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 EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color – including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic congresswoman currently serving.
