Outgoing EMILY's List Leader Malcolm Reflects On Career Supporting Women In Politics

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Abortion
Article Date: 29 Jan 2010 - 3:00 PDT

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In a recent interview with Roll Call, outgoing EMILY's List President Ellen Malcolm reflected on victories and setbacks in her tenure with the group, which grew from its founding in her basement in 1985 to the "pre-eminent women's group in politics." Since Malcolm launched the group -- which bundles money for female candidates who support abortion rights -- EMILY's List's membership has increased to 100,000. In 2008, it donated $43 million to female candidates who support abortion rights. In addition to fundraising, the group has grown to offer strategic advice and training for candidates.

Sen.-elect Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) victory over Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) in the state's recent special Senate election was a "low point" in her 25-year tenure, Malcolm said. "It's all hindsight," Malcolm said of the Massachusetts election. "When there was a 19-point lead [for Coakley] on Dec. 22, did we think it was going [to] be in free fall in the second week of January? Absolutely not," Malcolm said, adding that when Coakley's campaign appeared to be in trouble, EMILY's List was the first "off the mark trying to solve it."

The Massachusetts Senate race has overshadowed the group's victories in 2008 -- a "banner year" for EMILY's List -- when it helped get 12 new women elected to the House, two new women elected to the Senate and re-election for every incumbent it endorsed, according to Roll Call. "We're not in as good of shape as we were [in 2008], but we're doing fine," Malcolm said, adding that the group hasn't "laid anybody off because of the economy, which I'm very proud of." Malcolm said that EMILY's List has "had so many hard-fought victories that we're proud of" and described "the year of the woman in 1992" as "historic."

Malcolm will be succeeded by Stephanie Schriock, who has served as a fundraiser for former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean and a lead operative on two successful Senate campaigns. According to Roll Call, Schriock will face the "challenge of bridging the generational divide between EMILY's List's female donors and voters." Malcolm said, "I think Stephanie is going to be a very exciting addition to the EMILY's List mix because I think she understands the way younger women communicate," adding that Schriock "has the same life experience as a lot of women that we're trying to reach out to" (Toeplitz, Roll Call, 1/28).

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