For Immediate Release
Oct 12, 2004
Week of October 12, 2004
Down to the wire in Florida's Senate race
Betty Castor is locked in a tight contest for Florida's Senate seat against former HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. Betty was endorsed by three of Florida's major newspapers this past weekend and is narrowly leading in the polls. But Martinez, backed by national Republicans, is raising millions to attack Betty and her record. Vice President Cheney headlined a fundraiser last week that added $400,000 to Martinez's bank account. Betty must raise over $100,000 a day to stay on television and compete with Martinez's ever-growing war chest.
Competing for independent voters in Missouri's governor's race
Gubernatorial candidate Claire McCaskill of Missouri is facing down national Republicans eager to earn political points in a key battleground state. To help Claire's opponent, Matt Blunt, George W. Bush spoke this past Saturday at a $1,200-a-person breakfast, raising Blunt a whopping $763,000. The TV ad wars will continue through November 2 in this very close race. Claire will win if she can continue to connect with women and independent voters who, according to The Joplin Times, believe "she has a lot of integrity...she's forthright, and she has great values."
The largest voter mobilization effort in EMILY's List's history
Florida WOMEN VOTE!, a project of EMILY's List, is organizing a massive volunteer get-out-the-vote effort in Florida during the final critical days of this election season, from October 29 till the polls close on November 2. The response to our call for volunteers has been overwhelming: we've filled four chartered planes with over 500 activists who will fly from Washington, D.C., to meet an additional 600 volunteers on the ground in Florida to talk to voters who could well decide the outcome of this election. For more information on how you can support EMILY's List and make a difference this year, visit www.teamemily.org.
A remarkable milestone for EMILY's List: 100,000 members and counting!
On Friday, October 8, EMILY's List reached an historic milestone, hitting the 100,000-member mark sometime around 3 pm! It's hard to believe that what Ellen Malcolm started in her basement 20 years ago with a few close friends and their rolodexes has developed into the nation's largest political action committee. Together, we've been changing the face of power every step of the way. You have shown enormous strength and commitment during this important election cycle and we've never been prouder. As a special thanks to loyal members like you, we're offering a limited edition "Voting Is Not Enough!" t-shirt to everyone who joins our Team EMILY online community and makes a contribution of $100 or more. Help us continue to build our network and ensure victory in 2004 and beyond by sharing this offer with your friends and family.