• Press Release

SISTER DISTRICT ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH EMILY’S LIST

September 25, 2018

For Immediate Release
September 25, 2018

SISTER DISTRICT ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH EMILY’S LIST

Organizations will come together to support state candidates and increase volunteer involvement throughout the 2018 election cycle, showing that women will lead the way.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Sister District Project and EMILYs List are thrilled to announce a partnership to drive meaningful grassroots capacity to state legislative races for the upcoming midterm elections. With this landmark partnership between two leading progressive organizations, women across the country are standing up to show that women will lead the way — as candidates, voters, and volunteers.

The organizations will bring together their communities through joint days of action supporting strong, progressive women who are running for state political offices. Volunteers from EMILYs List will join volunteers from their local Sister District teams to phonebank and canvass for candidates endorsed by both organizations.

EMILYs List is the nation’s largest resource for women in politics. Since EMILYs List was founded in 1985, it has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates and helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. So far this election cycle, EMILYs List has endorsed nearly 500 women for state and local offices in more than 26 targeted states nationwide.  

Sister District was founded in the wake of the 2016 election by five women, all new to politics. It has since grown into an organization of 30,000 people across the country, with 65+ active volunteer teams that have been “sistered” with 24 state legislative races in six states this cycle.

“Women are coming together right now in a remarkable show of solidarity and strength,” said Rita Bosworth, the executive director of Sister District. “The Sister District partnership with EMILYs List amplifies our shared support of progressive women candidates across the country, and it sends a message that women are united, we are strong, and we are determined to win.”

“Since 2016, more than 42,000 women have contacted EMILYs List about running for public office. By working together with organizations like Sister District, we can mobilize the passionate volunteers and grassroots support that will be key to electing pro-choice Democratic women across the country,” said Lucinda Guinn, vice president of campaigns at EMILYs List.

The partnership will kick off with a phonebank party in San Mateo, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 29th in support of Claudette Williams, who is running for Pennsylvania’s 176th House District. Williams has a strong history of service and leadership as a 30-year US Army Sergeant Major (retired), president of the Mount Pocono Borough Council, police commissioner, and chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. Williams will be in attendance and this event is open to the press. Additional partnership days of action are scheduled in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City to support candidates in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two critical battleground states.

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Bay Area (San Mateo): Phone Bank Party for Claudette Williams (PA HD-176), September 29th

Chicago: Phone Bank Party for Winnie Brinks (MI-SD29) and Alberta Griffin (MI-HD61), October 4th

Washington, D.C.: Phone Bank Party for Maria Collett (PA-SD12) and Sara Johnson Rothman (PA-HD151), October 15th

New York City: Phone Bank Party for Tina Davis (PA-SD06) and Liz Hanbidge (PA-HD61), October 16th

New York City: Door knocking for Tina Davis (PA-SD06), October 20th

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Sister District, a grassroots organization founded in 2016, has grown to over 30,000 volunteers across the country. We have raised more than $350,000 in small-dollar cash donations directly for candidates in 2017, plus another $350,000 in partnership with allied organizations. We made over 81,000 phone calls, wrote 40,000 postcards, knocked on 30,000 doors, and sent 185,000 text messages. Sister District is an organization that was founded by all women, including women of color. We aim to lead the movement to turn state legislatures blue and ensure fair redistricting by empowering an enduring community of volunteers who are formidable in their ability to help Democrats win elections.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.