Politico Examines Leadership Change At EMILY's List

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 19 Mar 2010 - 4:00 PDT

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EMILY's List, which backs female political candidates who support abortion rights, "is in the midst of a generational changing of the guard," which "shows from the top level of leadership to its Internet presence," Politico reports. Stephanie Schriock -- a 36-year-old who has worked with the campaigns of Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) -- recently replaced EMILY's List founder Ellen Malcolm as the group's president.

In a recent interview with Politico, Schriock said she recognizes that the group faces some challenges in the current political climate. January's defeat of Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate special election "underscored" those challenges, according to Politico. Schriock said, "One thing walking away from Massachusetts: We know we need to take a bit of time and look at why it happened so we can move forward."

During the 2000 and 2002 election cycles, EMILY's List was the top-earning political action committee, raising $21.2 million and $22.6 million, respectively. Its total receipts for the 2004 and 2006 election cycles increased by $12 million, compared with the 2000 and 2002 cycles, according to Politico. Since then, total receipts have "held steady" around $35 million, and the group is now working to "attract the next generation of online donors," Politico reports.

Reshaping the group's Internet strategy is one of Schriock's main focus areas. For example, she has expanded its number of Facebook fans to nearly 13,000 people and changed the name of the group's blog from "Read my Lipstick" -- which was "lampooned in some Washington circles for being too corny" -- to the EMILY's List Blog. She said of the group's Internet presence, "I really want to make it about a community and attract a whole new wave of supporters" (Lovley, Politico, 3/18).

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