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EMILYs List
American political organization From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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EMILYs List (formerly stylized as EMILY's List[3]) is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985.[4] The group's name is a backronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast", alluding to the way yeast makes dough rise.[4] The saying refers to a convention of political fundraising: receiving many donations early in a race helps attract subsequent donors. EMILYs List bundles contributions to the campaigns of Democratic women in favor of abortion rights running in targeted races.[3]
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History and mission
EMILYs List was founded in 1985 when 25 women met in the home of Ellen Malcolm.[4] In 1986, early financial support from EMILYs List helped elect Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, the first female Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a deceased husband).[1][5] The group's mission is to cultivate a donor network to raise money for female Democratic candidates in favor of abortion rights. To become an official EMILYs List member, an individual must pay $100 to join EMILYs List and agree to donate a minimum of $100 each to two U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or gubernatorial candidates. Members donate directly to EMILYs List, which bundles the checks together and forwards them to candidates.[6] In her book, When Women Win: EMILYs List and the Rise of Women in American Politics, Ellen Malcolm, the organization's founder, stated that "creating progressive policies and promoting them can be incredibly valuable. But those policies will never be implemented unless enough politicians are elected who support them."[7] They focused specifically on women in favor of abortion rights because they felt that "women couldn't be equal until they had control over their bodies."[8] They focused on raising early money for women because women were not getting money from the Democratic party and thus were generally not winning races even if they were qualified,[9] and they felt that early money could help convince people that their campaigns were credible and would help them raise more money later.[10] EMILYs List criteria for picking candidates include staff recommendations, viability, "demographics and history of the district, analysis of opponents or potential opponents, analysis of candidate's education, political experience, etc., demonstrated success at fund-raising, poll data to demonstrate name recognition and grass roots support."[10]
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Staff
Ellen Malcolm served as president of EMILYs List from its founding until 2010. Stephanie Schriock was chosen to succeed Malcolm, who became chairwoman of the board of directors.[11] Schriock announced she would step down in late 2020, following 11 years at the organization.[12] Laphonza Butler took over as president of EMILYs List in 2021, leaving in October 2023 to fill the remainder of the late Dianne Feinstein's U.S. Senate term.[13] Political strategist Jessica Mackler was selected as interim president following Butler's Senate appointment, and her position as fourth president of EMILYs List was made permanent in March 2024.[14][15] Emily Cain has served as Executive Director since 2017. Amy Dacey was the executive director of EMILYs List from 2010 through 2013.[16]
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Programs
The Political Opportunity Program (POP) was established in 2001 to encourage Democratic women in favor of abortion rights to run for state and local office. POP targets its resources toward Democratic women in favor of abortion rights running for state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and local offices.[17]
References
External links
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