July 2005

Training women to win

Right is Wrong

Words of wisdom from the right wing

"I don't bash Hillary because I think she's weak. I don't bash her because I think she is strong. I bash her because I like to." -- Conservative columnist Robert Novak (Crossfire, CNN, 6/2/05)

"Even we at Fox News manage to get some lefties on the air occasionally, and often let them finish their sentences before we club them to death and feed the scraps to Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly." -- Fox News Channel London bureau chief Scott Norvell (slate.com, 5/31/05)

"We're going to get a conservative man or woman on the Supreme Court. ... Get over it, Schumer and Boxer." -- Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), on comity in the Senate (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/25/05)

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." -- Pres. George W. Bush (washingtonpost.com, 5/25/05)

"Rick Santorum is a Catholic missionary. ... who happens to be in the Senate." -- Sean Reilly, former aide to Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) (New York Times, 5/22/05)

"I have always had a handgun in the drawer next to my bed, and I would certainly again have one if it were legal in D.C." -- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), on overturning Washington, D.C.'s, handgun ban (Dallas Morning News, 5/19/05)

"When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, you want to have your friends around, preferably armed. So I feel really good." -- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), at an NRA event (Washington Post, 4/18/05)

"I'm a radical! I'm a real extremist. I don't want to impeach judges. I want to impale them!" -- Michael Schwartz, chief of staff to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) (The Nation, 4/11/05)

POP expands to meet rising demand

In 2001, EMILY's List launched the Political Opportunity Program (POP) to nurture a new generation of women candidates dedicated to advancing progressive values in their own states and communities.

The decision to expand EMILY's List's involvement in local politics was hastened by a troubling occurrence. "After the 2000 election, the number of women serving in state legislatures went down for the first time in 30 years," says Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List. "We thought this could be a one-time fluke or the start of a devastating trend for women in politics. Either way, we knew we had to act."

POP is also a key element of EMILY's List's long-term goal of building a progressive America and retaking government from right-wing Republicans.

"Empowering women to run for local and state office is critical to the future of the Democratic Party," Malcolm says. "Republicans have long been cultivating local 'farm teams' of right-wing candidates, with devastating results. Through POP, EMILY's List is stepping in to help elect women at every level."

In four short years, POP has had a dramatic effect on politics, policy, and women across the country. Since 2001, EMILY's List has trained more than 3,000 pro-choice Democratic women -- 961 in the 2002 election cycle, 1,600 in the 2004 election cycle, and 445 since January, with the goal of training at least 1,000 more women before the 2006 election. In the 2004 election cycle, POP helped 225 women candidates by making contributions to their campaigns and providing ongoing strategic and moral support. Of that total, 140 won -- including victories that helped Democrats regain six legislative chambers.

These women are now fighting and winning policy battles affecting women and families across the country. They're on the frontlines when right-wing legislators try to curb access to reproductive health care, including choice and family planning. They are advancing progressive ideas on the economy, the environment, public safety, education, and health care.

In addition, by helping elect these women at the state level, POP is broadening the Democratic bench. Women serving at the state and municipal levels gain valuable leadership experience that will qualify them for higher office, should they choose to run. And POP women are helping to position Democrats for congressional redistricting after the next national census.

"The only way to restore Democratic control of Congress is to create more opportunities for Democrats through redistricting," says Malcolm. "If we can do that, we can effect a sea change in Washington -- and make House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi the country's first woman Speaker!"

Not coincidentally, since 2000, the number of Democratic women serving in state legislatures has increased from 1,007 to 1,041 (+34); the number of Republican women has declined from 650 in 2000 to 607 in 2005 (-43).

Training for today and tomorrow

Through personal contact and training, POP recruits, encourages, supports, and educates pro-choice Democratic women who are thinking of running for office for the first time, as well as veteran officeholders facing tough challenges or seeking higher office.

POP is staffed by experienced political strategists who have worked on numerous campaigns and even run for office. They assess the political climate in states, look for political opportunities, and offer ongoing evaluation of non-federal candidates and their campaigns. This dedicated team is on the road nearly every week of the year, recruiting candidates and helping them prepare for the professional, mental, physical, and emotional aspects of running for office. POP staff form close ties to the women they meet, giving them personal attention and positive encouragement, heeding recent studies showing that women hesitate to run for office because they doubt that they are qualified and believe they need to be asked to run.

"Men seem to come out of the womb believing they can run for president," says Kate Coyne-McCoy, POP regional director and a former congressional candidate. "For women, it takes a little longer. But we get them there -- and we ask!"

POP trainers put 20 to 50 women through a rigorous curriculum designed to give them the skills and confidence they need to launch political careers. Many are planning to run in two or four years, and are getting an early start. Others face elections in a few months and need immediate help. Still more come because they want to help elect more women in their community. (Many of these women leave feeling as if they might run for office themselves. "I had only intended to be a behind-the-scenes person," one attendee wrote in her evaluation. "You actually have me thinking about running for town council!")

Training topics include:

  • Getting ready to run. Participants learn how to develop a campaign plan, determine whether their districts are winnable, build coalitions of supporters, assess their strengths and weaknesses, create budgets, and hire key staff.
  • Fundamentals of fundraising. Participants learn how to write a winning fundraising plan. Then they practice, step by step, how to ask for campaign contributions.
  • Building a campaign message. Participants learn how to develop a concise, credible, defining message that briefly conveys the principles of their campaigns and contrasts them with their opponents. They learn how to stay "on message" under challenging circumstances, and how to repeat their message ad nauseum. "When the candidate is sick of saying it, that's when the voters are starting to hear it," says Coyne-McCoy.
  • Working with the media. EMILY's List coaches women on how to respond effectively to difficult questions and improve their image as a candidate.
  • Successful voter contact. Women learn how to use a voter file to track voters and how to run an effective field campaign. Trainers teach them to be strategic with limited time, resources, and people.

Attendees have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and learn from each other. POP trainees have access to technical and financial support, and encouragement throughout their political careers. Coming to a POP training is often the first step in establishing a relationship with EMILY's List that will deepen as their campaigns evolve.

A pipeline of women leaders

Most of the pro-choice Democratic women EMILY's List has helped elect to Congress and as governors started at the local and state levels.

"Among the 80 women we have helped elect to the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or governorships, nearly three-fourths were local or state officials first; half had served in their state's legislature," says Malcolm. "Seven of the eight women governors held a statewide post prior to winning the top spot."

One of the key benefits of a vigorous Political Opportunity Program is that, through POP, EMILY's List is creating a pipeline for new women leaders who want to move through the ranks in the same way.

A perfect example of the synchronicity between POP and EMILY's List's efforts to elect pro-choice Democratic women to higher office occurred in Wisconsin in 2004. When U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, then a state senator, won a crowded primary race for a safely Democratic U.S. House seat in September, she set in motion a trifecta that demonstrates the value of the political pipeline. Moore's open Senate seat created an opportunity for state Rep. Lena Taylor, a lawyer and businesswoman, to move up to the state Senate -- and for political newcomer Tamara Grigsby, a professor of social work, to win Taylor's House seat. All three women won contested primaries with help from EMILY's List. Moore is the first African American to represent Wisconsin in Congress; Taylor and Grigsby are also African American.

In Florida, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's 2004 win made possible state House veteran Nan Rich's landslide victory in Wasserman Schultz's old state Senate seat. Rich holds many of the same issue priorities as Wasserman Schultz, including children's rights, education reform, and extended health care coverage.

And in Pennsylvania, after U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz was elected to the U.S. House with strong support from EMILY's List members, she left open a safely Democratic state Senate seat -- and a prime opportunity for POP to move a new pro-choice Democratic woman through the pipeline. After earning the Democratic nomination and the unanimous support of party officials, including Schwartz, state Rep. LeAnna Washington won a landslide victory over Republican Ron Holt May 17, garnering more than 80 percent of the vote. She is only the third African American woman to have served in the Pennsylvania senate, and one of only five Democratic women currently serving.

The never-ending campaign

POP has fielded successful candidates in three 2005 elections: the special election in Pennsylvania in May; primary elections for state office in New Jersey June 7; and primary elections for state office in Virginia June 14. POP staff are tracking two special elections scheduled for July: one for state House in Pennsylvania July 19, and one for mayor of San Diego July 26. After a break in August, POP gears up again for municipal elections in New York City and, possibly, Cincinnati Sept. 13, in Cleveland Oct. 4, and, of course, the general election on Nov. 8, 2005.

The training calendar includes seminars in New York, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, California, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

"POP has fundamentally changed the electoral calendar at EMILY's List," says Malcolm. "We used to spend the 'off-year' -- odd-numbered years after elections -- preparing for the 'on-year.' Now, with elections just about every month, we operate in constant campaign mode. There is no such thing as an 'off-year' anymore!"

POP is expanding at a rapid clip -- increasing the budget, working with more candidates, and hiring more experienced staff -- and will continue to rise to the demand. "We are dedicated to changing the political landscape for pro-choice Democratic women, today and in the future," says Malcolm.

The EMILY's List Commitment Members join EMILY's List and commit to making contributions to at least two pro-choice Democratic women candidates recommended by EMILY's List during the election cycle.

Meet the Campaign Corps Class of 2005

After weeks of reviewing applications and conducting interviews of outstanding young people, EMILY's List's Campaign Corps staff selected the Class of 2005.

Staff narrowed the pool of 364 applicants down to 42 incredibly talented, ambitious young people from 19 states, plus the District of Columbia. Not surprisingly, California and Texas, the most populous states in the U.S., are well-represented, but some students hail from states as far-flung as Oklahoma, Tennessee, Minnesota, Arizona, and Georgia.

"We made a special effort to hold Campaign Corps recruitment events, including weekend-long training mini-camps, at or near historically black colleges and in communities with significant Latino populations to achieve ethnic diversity," says Susan Markham, Campaign Corps director.

The 26 young women and 16 young men chosen for the Class of 2005 will be in Washington, D.C., in late July for Campaign School, an intensive weeklong training where they'll learn everything they need to know about campaigning from top-flight political professionals.

After that, they'll be dispatched nationwide to work on the campaigns of progressive, pro-choice Democrats. Many will work on legislative and statewide races in Virginia and New Jersey, which will hold elections in November 2005; others will work on 2006 campaigns. Campaign Corps participants receive a small monthly stipend from EMILY's List during their three-month tour of duty, after which they return to Washington for debriefing in November. Then our staff will help them find their next jobs in progressive politics.

"We're optimistic that those who are sent to 2006 campaigns will prove indispensable to operations and be kept on through the election!" says Markham.

This year's class is diverse and brings a wide range of experience to the program.

  • Rick Rivas was raised on a vineyard in California by his grandparents, who were migrant farmworkers. Rick grew up hearing stories about Robert Kennedy and Cesar Chavez and their fight for workers' rights. In college, Rick interned in the office of Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had a photograph of Robert Kennedy and Chavez at a California rally. Remarkably, Rick's grandfather was also in the photo! (Sen. Kennedy graciously gave Rick a copy for his grandfather.)
  • Sarah Burris of Oklahoma City had planned to work abroad after college, but changed her mind after working on a congressional campaign. "I realized that my efforts to save the world might work better if the most powerful nation were headed by moderate and Democratic leadership," she says.
  • Trevor Hanger graduated from Yale and moved to Dallas to work as a stock trader for a large hedge fund. "Campaign Corps is my first step toward repurchasing my soul from Wall Street," he says. "Honestly, I can't wait to begin working for something I believe in."

"People who spend their lives in politics can sometimes get a little cynical, but it's impossible not to be touched by the amazing life stories of these young people," says Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List. "They so clearly want to make a difference, and through Campaign Corps, they are getting that opportunity."

What's Cooking?

Political news from Washington and around the country

Vanquished gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi finally met his Waterloo ... six months after losing the Washington state governor's race, Rossi conceded to Democrat Christine Gregoire ... Gregoire's race last year was so close, they had to recount the votes by machine and then by hand ... Gregoire won by 129 votes out of three million cast ... she was sworn in, took office, and proceeded to govern aggressively ... Republicans waged a quixotic six-month legal challenge to Gregoire's victory, but on June 6, Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges upheld Gregoire's victory ... Rossi got more than he bargained for ... Bridges expanded Gregoire's original margin of victory to 133.

Amid all the legal challenges, Gregoire never broke stride ... she signed a record 526 bills in her first legislative session as governor ... even Republican Senate Leader Bill Finkbeiner praised Gregoire's leadership skills ... and the Washington Post's David S. Broder noted that Gregoire was "basking in bipartisan accolades for her success," including sweeping environmental protections and approval of a billion-dollar biomedical research fund, one of Gregoire's signature campaign issues.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) hasn't had much luck defraying accusations of ethics violations, which are taking a political toll at home ... but there's one place where DeLay's brand of ethics goes unnoted: in Washington, amid Capitol dome butter sculptures and cakes topped with candy hammers ... DeLay was feted like the GOP's savior, not its albatross, at a May 12 event sponsored by the American Conservative Union Foundation ... a May Survey USA poll released by Houston's NBC affiliate, KPRC, showed 34 percent of voters in DeLay's district believe he should resign from Congress ... maybe instead of a candy hammer, those cakes should have been topped with a candy nail, to signify the first in DeLay's political coffin.

EMILY has long maintained that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so the many organizations that style themselves after EMILY's List don't trouble her, even when they embrace an ideology that falls somewhere to the right of Rick Santorum ... for example, EMILY's political opposite, the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA), is dedicated to recruiting, training, and funding anti-choice women candidates ... but it seems the SBA List expanded its mission ... now, according its web site, the SBA List is helping -- you guessed it -- anti-choice men! ... but not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry ... specifically, men who are running against pro-choice women ... hmmm, this is getting personal!

One of the SBA List's candidates is Bush rubberstamper Chris Chocola, a GOP congressman from Indiana ... or is he? ... conservative radio host Michael Medved isn't buying it .. Chocola's name surfaced on Medved's nationally syndicated show in May, when Medved challenged his guest, Hans Riemer of Rock the Vote, to name one single Republican politician who advocated privatizing Social Security ... Riemer cited Chocola ... "Who?" asked Medved ... "Chris Chocola," repeated Riemer ... "Who is that?" ... "Member of Congress from Indiana," Riemer explained ... "Chris what?" ... "Chocola, C-O -- C-H-O-C-O-L-A" ... "Okay," said Medved, "I don't know that particular member of Congress, I'm not even sure he is a member of Congress" ... perhaps Medved is more familiar with Chocola's colleague, Rep. Willy Wonka (R-Chocolate Factory).

The field to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2006 is rapidly expanding ... Yonkers ex-Mayor John Spencer expressed his dismay over the praise Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro is getting from the GOP leadership ... apparently GOP higher-ups recruited Pirro "without even talking" to Spencer, a move he characterized as "very dictatorial" ... meanwhile, Nixon son-in-law Ed Cox began his descent into the gutter by hiring Ben Ginsberg, who honed his mudslinging skills on the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry ... Cox may also have something of an axe to grind ... three years after he married Tricia Nixon, her father resigned amid the Watergate scandal ... a young lawyer named Hillary Rodham worked on the staff of the committee holding the Watergate hearings.

Republicans hoping to unseat Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano in 2006 have launched a campaign to include a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the state's ballot in 2006 ... the initiative could draw hordes of conservative voters to the polls ... Napolitano earned the ire of the right wing by vetoing some of their pet projects ... one bill would have allowed gun-owners to bring loaded firearms into alcohol-serving restaurants and bars ... another would have allowed pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for the morning-after pill ... Republicans are trying to get Marilyn Quayle, wife of former Vice President Dan Quayle, to challenge Napolitano ... as Dan might say, "if she doesn't succeed, she may very well run the risk of failure."

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) will face a primary challenge in 2006 from state Assemblyman Joe Nation ... Woolsey won the seat in 1992 with support from EMILY's List ... she is one of the few members of Congress who knows personally the value of the social safety net, having briefly depended on government assistance to keep her family afloat in the 1970s ... Nation hasn't explained why he wants to replace Woolsey ... could it have anything to do with the fact that he can't run for another Assembly term due to California's term limit law?

Candidate Spotlight: Annabel Palma

New York City councilwoman faces September re-election

On September 13, New York City Councilwoman Annabel Palma, an outspoken advocate for labor and public education, is heading towards a primary challenge.

Palma's personal experiences inspired her to seek office. EMILY's List's Political Opportunity Program (POP) is helping Palma, and other promising pro-choice Democratic women candidates like her, build strong campaigns and fend off well-funded challengers.

Palma was working as a labor organizer when she was encouraged to run for a seat on the New York City Council in 2003. A certified nurse's aide in her early thirties, Palma juggled the competing demands of night school, single parenthood, and a full-time job. Her son was about to begin ninth grade in a school district where only 30 percent of students graduate.

Although Palma had been a community leader for years -- training thousands of union members and serving as the union representative for her nursing colleagues -- she had never seriously considered running for office.

"At first, I thought, 'What makes me qualified to run for the council?,'" Palma says. "And then, I thought, 'Well, why wouldn't I be qualified?'"

POP staff worked with Palma every step of her uphill battle to win election. Regional Director Kate Coyne-McCoy made sure Palma had the resources she needed to win in a crowded field of experienced and formidable opponents. Her strongest opponent was Pedro Gautier Espada, whose father, Pedro Espada Jr., was a wealthy owner of health care clinics in the district. Espada Jr. was first elected to the city council in 1989. He and his son treated the seat as their own personal family legacy, distributing signs urging voters to "re-elect Pedro Espada" in an effort to blur the line between father and son.

Palma ran an aggressive field campaign, tirelessly door-knocking and greeting voters at subway stops in her Bronx neighborhood every day for two months. "I went to the laundromats, because people had to stay there and listen to me. They weren't going to leave their laundry unattended," Palma says. She won the 2003 Democratic primary by a margin of nearly two to one.

Palma, who is inspired by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, was named one of five Latinas "poised to shake up the world" by the New York Post. She's made good on her campaign promises to fight for labor rights and educational equality in public schools. In February 2005, she successfully organized opposition to BJ's Wholesale Club opening a non-union superstore in the Bronx. In June 2004, she sponsored a bill, unanimously passed into law by the council, to protect immigrants from service providers who take advantage of their dependent status by overcharging or engaging in other unethical practices.

Now, after almost two years in office, Palma is gearing up for re-election in 2005. Helping re-elect Palma is a top priority for Coyne-McCoy. EMILY's List is providing technical, financial, and moral support that will help Palma once again run a strong, winning campaign.

Candidate spotlight

Rep. Melissa Bean (Ill. 8) scored the most dramatic political victory of 2004 when she unseated Rep. Phil Crane, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. House. One of only two Democrats to defeat an incumbent in 2004, Bean was given plum committee assignments (Small Business and Financial Services) and quickly established herself as a rising star in the Democratic caucus -- and as a prime target for defeat by the GOP in 2006.

Ambitious Republicans in this suburban Chicago area had been waiting patiently for Crane, a 35-year incumbent, to retire and give them a chance at what they thought was a safe Republican seat. Now they must face the energetic Bean, so Republicans in Illinois and Washington, D.C., are mobilizing to take back this seat.

Bean spoke with EMILY's List about how being an entrepreneur and a working mother makes her a better congresswoman, and what she's doing to prepare for a brutal 2006 campaign.

What drew you into politics?

It was my kids. I had always been interested in politics, and my degree is in political science, but I started working in the high-tech industry and moved up quickly. After my children were born, I began to pay more attention to issues like air and water quality and education. And as I focused on my children's future, I began to look at where my representatives stood. That created the impetus to get involved.

What made you seek a congressional seat in your first campaign?

I was concerned about federal issues and, in my community, my congressman's accessibility and performance were sorely lacking. Our state representatives were doing a good job, but voters were not getting a choice for Congress. Someone had to step up and say, "We need change now."

How does your business background help you in Congress?

When you build a business, you start territories from scratch, you decide where your market is and learn what your customers care about, and you design products and services to address their needs. I try to measure my performance against customer satisfaction. I go to grocery stores and community events to meet constituents and hear their questions and concerns. I meet with chambers of commerce and business owners, because I pledged in my campaign to be a champion for small and medium-sized businesses, which are really the engine of economic growth in my district.

What other life experiences do you draw on as a member of Congress?

Definitely being a mom. I have daughters in public school and I go to school board meetings and am an active parent. That perspective is so important. I can relate to the typical American parent who is trying to achieve balance.

Why is it so important to elect younger women to Congress?

If we want to see women in leadership roles, we have to build bench strength. It's harder for women who come to Congress in their later years to gain seniority. Younger women have more time.

What role has your family played in helping your political career?

I've had tremendous help from my husband and children. They're proud and supportive and encouraging. They contribute a lot of ideas and make sacrifices, because they know what I'm doing is important and they value that. And I'm very fortunate that my kids are great students and socially comfortable at school. If they weren't, I wouldn't do this. They are my number one priority.

How are you preparing for your re-election campaign?

I'm just keeping my head down and doing my job. The election is a long way off. But with the support of EMILY's List and the other groups that were with me last time, I know there are people, not just in my community but across the nation, who are going to make sure we defend this hard-fought victory.

How do you prepare your daughters for the negative aspects of a campaign?

During the campaign, I told them, if people say something about your mom, don't engage. Say, "I know my mom better than you," and walk away. They've had kids come up and say stuff -- one said, "Your mom's a Democrat, right? Are you a Democrat?" When my daughter said yes, he said, "You must all like high taxes." She said, "No, we like clean air." She did just fine with her own response!

How important is support from EMILY's List members to your campaign?

EMILY's List understands the importance of early money, particularly for women candidates who don't have the good old boys' network to tap into. Getting an early start helps deter opponents. And given the assault on choice, it's critical to keep seats like mine that are held by pro-choice Democratic women. That's why I'm so grateful for the strong support EMILY's List members showed earlier this year by writing checks to my campaign.