What We Do
Founded 23 years ago in 1985, EMILY's List is the nation's largest political resource for women. We carry out our mission — to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office — through a variety of programs, including Campaign Services and Training, the Political Opportunity Program (POP), Campaign Corps, and WOMEN VOTE!.
These programs are funded by a powerful grassroots network of more than 100,000 members from across the country who are committed to building a progressive America by empowering women as candidates, campaign professionals, and voters.
Helping Women Run — And Win
EMILY's List identifies viable opportunities to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office, recruits qualified candidates, trains them to be effective fundraisers and communicators, and works with them throughout the campaign to make sure that they are executing a winning strategy.
We recommend promising candidates for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and governorships to our members for financial support. Our members contribute directly to candidates of their choice. In the 2006 election cycle, our members contributed more than $11 million to pro-choice Democratic women candidates.
To build the pipeline of women qualified to run for higher office, EMILY's List's Political Opportunity Program recruits, trains, and funds candidates at the state and local level. In the 2006 election cycle, EMILY's List held 49 training sessions in 28 states, educating 1,735 candidates and staff. In 2006 alone, we helped 196 pro-choice Democratic women win key positions in state and local government, where they are shaping the policies that affect women, our families, and our communities.
Helping Women Campaign
To make sure our candidates and their staff have the resources and knowledge they need to win, EMILY's List trains candidates and campaign professionals to effectively organize, fundraise, and communicate their message.
We launched our rigorous and highly-regarded training program in 1993. Since then, we've trained 1,525 candidates and staff. In the 2006 election cycle, we trained 162 candidates and staff.
To introduce recent college graduates to careers in progressive politics, EMILY's List created Campaign Corps in 2003. Each year we recruit and train hundreds of promising young people. In our week-long, intensive Campaign School or in "mini-camps" on college campuses across the country, we teach them the fundamentals of campaigning and prepare them to work for important progressive races across the country.
In 2007, 33 young activists participated in Campaign Corps. Click here to learn more about Campaign Corps.
Helping Mobilize Women Voters
Our WOMEN VOTE! program is the premier Democratic women's get-out-the-vote effort in the country. When women vote, Democrats win. EMILY's List uses sophisticated marketing techniques to help identify key segments of women voters for the Democratic electorate.
Through our Women's Monitor surveys and other projects, EMILY's List researches the political concerns and values that guide women's electoral choices. We study the messages that resonate and the best methods to communicate those messages. And we share this important information with our candidates and the progressive community.
To mobilize women, the EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE!® program conducts independent campaigns to educate them through broadcast advertising, web sites, direct mail and personal voter contact.
We also organize and implement large-scale, get-out-the-vote efforts in critical Democratic turnout districts and states across the country.