Emily's List

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EMILY'S LIST

EMILY'S LIST, a political donor network based in Washington, D.C., was formed in 1985, its name derived from the acronym "Early Money Is Like Yeast" and its mission to help elect Democratic, pro-choice women nationally. Ellen Malcolm was inspired to create a donor network for women politicians when Walter Mondale selected Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York as a running mate in 1984. When polling results on election day suggested that Mondale lost even the women's vote 55 percent to 45 percent, feminist activists saw a need to organize in every state to counter the influence of conservative, pro-life Republicans.

Energized by Anita Hill's testimony of sexual harassment at the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, several women, especially from the Midwest, were elected to Congress in 1992, which was dubbed the "year of the women." Emily's List supported Hillary Rodham Clinton in her successful 2000 Senate campaign in New York.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Freeman, Jo. A Room at a Time: How Women Entered Party Politics. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002.

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See alsoCampaign Financing and Resources .