Club 44 kicks off!, June 8, 2007
We couldn't let an experience like Club 44: Make History with Hillary! Tour occur without passing along some commentary from the folks at EMILY's List. Who better to explain the impact of Club 44 than the new chair of the Clinton campaign and emcee herself, EMILY's List President Ellen R. Malcolm. This is what she sent along yesterday:
On Wednesday night, I was honored to help emcee the first event of Club 44: Make History with Hillary! Tour, kicking off a nationwide series of events that reaches out to and celebrates women who support Hillary's goal of becoming the 44th president. The city block was full of 8,000 energized supporters of all ages, including a tremendous amount of young voters and kids.
Even more reassuring than the thousands of young women attending the event was witnessing the hundreds of young women (and men) in their brown t-shirts and blue badges volunteering at Club 44. In fact, the Hillary Clinton campaign brims with young women on staff, as volunteers, and at their rallies — and the caucuses and primaries will overflow with young women coming out to elect Hillary.
Warning: the following information may be a startling realization to those of us over the age of 30. The youngest voters on Nov. 4, 2008, were born in 1990 — they were fourth graders in the 2000 election. Young twenty-somethings will have experienced both 9/11 and the Iraq War while still in grade school. They have never known life before the ERA struggle, before Roe v. Wade, before the Battle of the Sexes, before Title IX, before the Voting Rights Act, before the Nineteenth Amendment. This new generation is excited about reaching the ultimate milestone in women's leadership: electing Hillary Clinton to the White House.
Democratic women under 25 support Hillary with a 29-point gender gap over her closest opponent. In 2006, 42 percent of 18-30 year old women identified as Democratic and 27 percent as Republican, compared to young men who identified 38 percent Democratic and 34 percent Republican. Young women voters are crucial to both short-term electoral victories as well as maintaining a Democratic majority.
The thousands of young women that I saw at Club 44 are a vibrant, powerful block of support for Hillary Clinton. These young women are motivated. They are strong. They are ready. They are the future of EMILY's List and the future of our party, and their support will be critical in electing Hillary Clinton.
Have a great day!
Ramona