Week of April 24, 2009

It's April, and the political news is raining down hard. But everything's coming up roses for our Senate candidates, who posted fabulous fundraising totals for the first quarter of the year, and for Judy Chu, whose special election to replace Hilda Solis in the U.S. House is less than four weeks away. The Republicans, though, are trying hard to rain on Democrats' parade, taking their politics to the floor of the House at a level I've never seen before. All this and more in this edition of News from the Field.

Judy, Judy, Judy: Special Election Less Than Four Weeks Away

EMILY's List candidate Judy Chu, who is running to replace now-Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in California's 32nd district, is doing a great job collecting endorsements and support for her May 19 primary. In a pack of 12 candidates, Chu has set herself apart -- raising necessary funds to reach out to voters and earning key endorsements from the state AFL-CIO, the SEIU, and a number of elected officials.

The race has been making headlines recently, after The Los Angeles Times reported last week on the campaign spending of one of Judy's opponents, state Sen. Gil Cedillo -- including $125,000 of donors' contributions spent on meals, entertainment, travel, and shopping excursions over the last six years. Fortunately, Judy has been making headlines of her own, sweeping the state Democratic party's nomination with a unanimous vote last weekend and earning the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week. With so many candidates on the ballot, we know this race will come down to the wire -- but with our support, Judy's campaign is building momentum in these crucial final weeks.

Click here to learn more about why Senator Klobuchar -- and other EMILY's List women -- made the decision to run for office.

Make a contribution to Judy Chu today to make sure she has the resources to reach voters in these final critical weeks of the campaign.

You Wanna Take This To The House Floor?

Desperate to make gains in the Senate and House next year -- and with no constructive means of appealing to voters -- Republicans are trying a new, outrageous tactic to undermine freshmen Democratic members, including EMILY's List candidates such as Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15). The GOP has taken politics directly to the House floor, attempting to stump and embarrass freshmen members by asking them to comment on issues completely out of context. Then, they post the exchanges on YouTube, apparently in an attempt to sway voters.

We've seen them stoop to extreme tactics before, but this is a new low. While the bullying attacks are shocking, they're also a sure sign that Republicans will do whatever it takes to get voters' attention. And that's exactly why we're not wasting any time fighting back.

Click here to watch Mary Jo's response to the attacks on The Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Maybe they need to go back to the drawing board.

Harassing freshmen members on the House floor is only one part of the GOP's attack plan. They've also recently targeted nine Dems with radio ads, including Rep. Kilroy, Rep. Debbie Halvorson, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, and Rep. Dina Titus. And it's not even 2010 yet.

W.A.R. on Women's Rights

Sarah Palin can't seem to stop herself from crossing the line, but her latest attention-getter goes far beyond a lapse in judgment. When she nominated her long-time political ally, Wayne Anthony Ross, to serve as Alaska's attorney general, Palin should have thought twice. Ross, who reportedly sports his "W.A.R." initials on his Hummer, has a history of his own outrageous antics -- from referring to gay people as "degenerate" to chastising an African American student for taking offense at a statue of a Klansman. But his most glaring remark was one he reportedly made in a 1991 speech where he defended marital rape: "If a guy can't rape his wife, who's he gonna rape?"

It came as no surprise to most of us that the Alaska legislature rejected Ross's nomination, but Palin's response -- calling him a "fine Alaskan" who's "held in high esteem" -- shows just how out of touch she is.

Top Raising in the Top Races

EMILY's List Senate candidates made news last week by posting incredible fundraising totals for the first quarter of this year -- and EMILY's List members helped make it possible!

These numbers are looked at closely by political operatives, pundits, and potential opponents as a gauge of a candidate's early strength. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, recently appointed to the Senate and facing a tough race next year, raised $2.3 million. Robin Carnahan, running for Senate in Missouri, where Republican Kit Bond is retiring, raised more than $1 million in only three months -- her opponent, right-wing Republican Rep. Roy Blunt, didn't even come close to that. But we know Republicans are already targeting these top campaigns, and it won't be smooth sailing until election day.

These races are among the most closely-watched and highly targeted in the nation and the candidates will need to raise millions of dollars to win. We're incredibly proud of the work these women are doing to raise the necessary funds, but we also know that New York and Missouri will be crucial states for Democrats in 2010 -- and Republicans know that, too. Kirsten is running in one of the most expensive media markets in the country, and Robin faces two ultraconservative potential opponents with special interest ties. We're thrilled EMILY's List members have helped Robin and Kirsten come out of the gate with such a strong showing -- and we're prepared to make sure they cross the finish line with our support.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts about what we're doing here at EMILY's List, our candidates, or anything else that's on your mind, so please get in touch with us.

Thanks for all you're doing to help put our country back on track.

Warmly,

Britt Cocanour


Chief of Staff