Over 200 Emerge Women are on the Ballot this Fall, Fighting for Progress in Local Elections

Democratic women offer solution-oriented leadership

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerge, the nation's premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, has over 200 powerhouse women running this fall that are poised to win critical seats. To showcase the many women running, Emerge released the election video "Women Have The Power".

"With what we have witnessed in the past week, in Congress and abroad, never before has the need for having more women leaders in office been so apparent. Americans understand the need for serious leaders who deliver on the needs of their communities in governing bodies across the country. That's why our country needs more Democratic women in power - because from school board to Congress, from speakerships to governorships, Democratic women deliver results," said Emerge President A'shanti F. Gholar. "Emerge is working to recruit and train women to run for office and win at every level of government. We look forward to seeing what these Emerge alums accomplish in office, where they will represent their communities and drive solutions."  

With over 200 women on the ballot in November, Emerge alums will add to the wave of efforts to empower Democratic women across the states and help Emerge hit its goal of reaching 100,000 women of the New American Majority by 2035. These candidates include:

• Lily Franklin, running for the Virginia House (D-41)
• Las Cruces Mayor Pro-Tem and Councilwoman Kasandra Gandara, running to be the first woman mayor of Las Cruces, NM
• Davida Haygood, running to be the first Black person on the Puyallup School Board, WA
• Joy Hollingsworth, running to be the first Black woman on the Seattle City Council
• Russet Perry running for the Virginia Senate (SD-31)
• Colonel Pam Stevenson, running to be the first Black woman attorney general in Kentucky
• New Jersey Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake, running for New Jersey State Senate
• Shellie Willis, running to be the first Black person on the Puyallup City Council, WA

71% of the organization's candidates won in the last election. Emerge alums holding elected office have surged to 1200+ nationwide and our network has grown to 5500+ women and impacted 45 states and the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, record highs.

Emerge's new democracy building slate of training programs - Gavel In, Seated Together, and school boards - is uniquely focused on building reflective government for the first time in American history, as we cannot have a full-fledged democracy without representation.

About Emerge
Emerge has one goal: To increase the number of Democratic women in office who are reflective of the incredible diversity of the Democratic party by recruiting, training, and providing a powerful network. Since 2002, Emerge has trained over 5,500 Democratic women to run for office, and currently more than 1,200 Emerge alums serve in elected office. Emerge is committed to reaching 100,000 women of the New American Majority over the next 15 years, fostering a lift as you climb culture for women in politics, and repowering political structures. There are more than two dozen state affiliates, and the organization has impacted a total of 45 states, Washington, D.C. and territories.

SOURCE Emerge