EMILY's List Endorses U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest financial resource for women candidates, today announced its endorsement of Senators Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray for re-election in 2010.

“EMILY’s List is proud to support U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray in their 2010 re-election campaigns.” said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY’s List. “In the Senate they have been strong and effective advocates for women and families. I know that they will continue to make us proud on Capitol Hill for years to come.”

Barbara Mikulski, the dean of the Senate women, is seeking her 5th term as U.S. Senator from Maryland. In 1986, EMILY’s List helped her become the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right. Among many accomplishments, Mikulski authored the law requiring federal standards for mammograms and fought for uninsured women to get screenings and treatment for breast and cervical cancer. She currently serves as a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), the Appropriations Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and is the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science. As a member of the Senate HELP Committee, Mikulski chaired the workgroup on quality and helped write the Affordable Health Choices Act which ends insurance company discrimination practices and ensures Americans can keep their current health coverage.

Barbara Boxer was elected to the Senate in 1992, the “Year of the Woman.” In 2004 she was re-elected to her third term with more than 6.9 million votes, the highest total for any Senate candidate in history. Boxer was the first woman to chair the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and is currently co-sponsoring landmark legislation to fight global warming and create clean energy jobs while addressing the threat of climate change. A vocal and effective leader for women’s rights, Boxer authored the Freedom of Choice Act in 2004 ensuring that every woman has the fundamental right to choose. In addition to her Chairmanship of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Sen. Boxer also serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and Commerce Committee, and is the chief deputy whip in the Senate.

Another “Year of the Woman” alumni, Patty Murray was the first woman elected to the Senate from Washington State. Murray been called “a workhorse, not a show horse” by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for her intense, behind-the-scenes efforts to get the job done on issues ranging from health care reform to education to economic development. Since her first term, Murray has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for the people of Washington State and for women across the country. In 1994 she helped write and pass the Violence Against Women Act, and worked with then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to fight for FDA approval of the contraception drug Plan B. Her service extends to the Senate Veterans Affairs where - as the first woman to sit on that committee - she has recently worked on legislation to improve care for women veterans and the Appropriations and Budget Committees. She was elected by her colleagues to serve as Democratic Conference Secretary, the highest ranking woman in the Senate Democratic caucus.

In the 2007-2008 cycle, EMILY’s List raised more than $43 million to support its mission of recruiting and supporting women candidates, helping them build strong campaigns, and mobilizing women voters to turn out and vote. EMILY’s List and its members directly contributed more than $9 million to EMILY’s List candidates for federal and gubernatorial office. With more than 100,000 members across the country, EMILY’s List is one of the largest political action committees in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY’s List has worked to elect 80 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 15 to the U.S. Senate, nine governors, and hundreds of women to the state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices.