Where We Come From

Twenty-Three Years of Progress...

In 1985, 25 women, rolodexes in hand, gathered in Ellen Malcolm's basement to send letters to their friends about a network they were forming to raise money for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. These "founding mothers" pioneered a new concept in fundraising: a donor network that would provide its members with information about candidates and encourage them to write checks directly to the candidates they choose.

At that time, no Democratic woman had been elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right, no woman had been elected governor of a large state, and the number of Democratic women in the U.S. House of Representatives had declined. Frustrated by the barriers that prevented women from making it to the top political offices, these women founded EMILY’s List to elect more women to the House and Senate, and as governors.

Since that day, EMILY's List has grown to more than 100,000 members, raised millions of dollars, and helped elect record numbers of women to office. An acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast" (it makes the dough rise...), EMILY's List has become the nation's biggest political action committee. Here is a sketch of 23 years of progress.

2007

EMILY’s List helps Niki Tsongas win her hard-fought special election primary and general election in Massachusetts’s fifth district to become the first woman to represent the state in Congress in 25 years! In the off-year elections, EMILY’s List sent 33 trained campaign organizers to races across the country. We helped elect the first woman mayor of Baltimore. We seized an open Virginia state House seat which had not been held by a Democrat in 40 years. And we elected eight pro-choice Democratic women to state legislatures and city councils from Maine to Arizona.

2006

In the 2006 election, EMILY's List members contributed nearly $11 million to EMILY's List endorsed candidates and another $34 million to support EMILY's List. EMILY's List endorsed candidates won critical House and Senate races that helped return control of Congress to Democrats, increased the number of women in Congress to record-breaking levels, and elevated Rep. Nancy Pelosi to her historic role as the first woman Speaker of the House. There were three Democratic incumbent governors up for re-election and all three -- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm -- were re-elected. The EMILY's List Political Opportunity Program (POP) endorsed in 23 statewide races and won 20 of those seats, helping to ensure the largest increase in a single election for Democratic women in statewide office in history.

EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE!® drove the largest drop-off women voter program in the country -- more than $8.5 million invested into reaching women voters in more than 21 battleground races across the country -- reaching millions of women voters in key battleground districts and using groundbreaking micro-targeting techniques to help Democrats win up and down the ballot.

2004

In the 2004 election, more than 100,000 members of EMILY's List contributed $10.7 million to candidates, adding five new women to the U.S. House - the most since 1998. Every single EMILY's List incumbent seeking reelection won, including Sens. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Barbara Mikulski (Md.) and Governor Ruth Ann Minner (Del.), and Christine Gregoire was elected Governor of Washington state. In addition, EMILY's List helped elect 140 women to state and local offices across the country with support from our Political Opportunity Program. These victories at the state level helped Democrats regain control of legislative bodies in 6 states where women serve in leadership positions.

EMILY's List developed the "Air EMILY" project, which trained and mobilized 1300 activists to get out the vote on election day in Florida and launched a new web site for our online activist community, Team EMILY.

2002

In the 2002 elections, EMILY's List and its almost 73,000 members contributed nearly $9.7 million to pro-choice Democratic women candidates; members contributed $23 million to fund EMILY's List operations and political program, including the nationwide WOMEN VOTE! project to mobilize women voters on behalf of Democrats. In 2002, EMILY's List developed Campaign Corps, a competitive program that trains a select group of recent college graduates to work in targeted progressive Democratic campaigns for the three months leading up to election day.

2000

In the 2000 election, 68,000 members of EMILY's List contributed $8.7 million to candidates, helping to bring four new pro-choice Democratic women to the Senate and four to the House. Democratic women reached an all time high of 10 in the Senate and 41 in the House. In addition, New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen won a third term, and Ruth Ann Minner became the first woman governor of Delaware. EMILY's List raised and contributed $10.8 million for WOMEN VOTE! projects to mobilize women voters in key battleground states. In 2001, EMILY's List created the Political Opportunity Program, which recruits, trains, and supports pro-choice Democratic women running for state legislative, constitutional and key local offices.

1998

50,000 members contributed $7 million to elect a pro-choice Democratic woman senator and seven new congresswomen, bringing the total to a record high of 43 Democratic women in Congress. WOMEN VOTE! projects in 26 states targeted 3.4 million women with nearly 8 million pieces of mail and over 2 million phone calls.

1996

45,000 EMILY's List members contributed $6.5 million to women candidates, $2 million to build winning campaigns, and $3 million for EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE!®. EMILY's List helped 31 states conduct WOMEN VOTE! projects, which targeted 2.7 million women voters with 7.5 million pieces of mail and 500,000 phone calls urging them to vote. EMILY's List helped elect a pro-choice Democratic woman senator, nine congresswomen, and one governor. The EMILY's List Women's Monitor, a national survey of women voters, provided a barometer of women voters' attitudes to the press and public.

1994

EMILY's List became a full-service political organization that raises money for women candidates, helps them build strong campaigns, and mobilizes women voters. Members helped elect four new Democratic congresswomen and return Dianne Feinstein to the U.S. Senate. The first WOMEN VOTE! project was launched in California, where women voters provided the margin of victory for Feinstein and other Democrats. Members contributed more than $8.7 million to recommended candidates and membership grew to 33,156.

1992

In what was called "The Year of the Woman," EMILY's List helped elect four new pro-choice Democratic women senators and 20 new congresswomen. Membership grew more than 600 percent. More than 23,000 members contributed over $6.2 million to recommended candidates.

1990

EMILY's List broke the million-dollar mark. Members contributed $1.5 million to 14 candidates and helped elect two governors and seven members of Congress. Membership exceeded 3,500.

1988

Nita Lowey (N.Y.) and Jolene Unsoeld (Wash.) reversed a 14-year decline in the number of Democratic women in the U.S. House, raising it to 14. EMILY's List recommended nine congressional candidates to more than 2,000 members and raised $530,000.

1986

EMILY's List raised over $350,000 for two Senate candidates. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right. Membership in EMILY's List was at 1,155.

EMILY's List has helped elect 13 Democratic women senators, 70 congresswomen, and eight governors. Click here to learn more about how EMILY's List makes history for pro-choice Democratic women candidates.

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