Malcolm - When Women Win: EMILYs List and the Rise of Women in American Politics

WHEN WOMEN WIN IS the result of a wonderful collaboration with a terrific writer, Craig Unger. As with all collaborations, we brought to the book different experiences and strengths and melded them into the resulting manuscript. As a result, there are many people we want to thank, both collectively and individually.

In the mid-1980s, a group of passionate feminists joined together with the goal of electing women to the highest levels of political office. Referring to ourselves, somewhat facetiously, as the Founding Mothers, we invested our time and money into building EMILYs List. For their personal friendship, hard work, and political support I am particularly indebted to these organizing members of EMILYs List: Marie Bass, Donna Brazile, Ranny Cooper, Betsy Crone, Irene Crowe, Kathleen Currie, Gail Harmon, Nikki Heidepriem, Joanne Howes, Ann Kolker, Debbie Landau, Judy Lichtman, Mimi Mager, Joan McLean, Jane McMichael, Cat Scheibner, Lael Stegall, and Mary Ann Stein. Among them, Craig and I are especially grateful to Judy, Joanne, Marie, Betsy, Mimi, and Ranny for sharing their memories of the early days of EMILYs List.

EMILYs List was built by the entrepreneurial spirit and dedication of a talented, mission-driven staff. The staff has always inspired me, and I am grateful for the many professional friendships I have built with the men and women who have worked for EMILYs List. I have forged a partnership with a small group of executive directors, who used their political and management savvy to turn EMILYs List into a powerful full-service political organization. I am particularly grateful for the friendship and commitment of these executive directors and for the time they have spent being interviewed for this book: Rosa DeLauro, Wendy Sherman, Mary Beth Cahill, Joe Solmonese, and Ellen Moran.

CRAIG AND I ALSO thank the following staff members for being interviewed about their time at EMILYs List: Denise Feriozzi, Sheila OConnell, Martha McKenna, Jonathan Parker, Jen Pihlaja, Karin Johanson, Kate Coyne-McCoy, Chris Esposito, Heather Colburn, Simone Ward, Amy Green, Mitchell Lester, and Allison Dale-Riddle. I especially thank Jeanne Duncan for many years of collaboration, for being EMILYs archivist, and, along with Kate Black, for helping us with fact checking.

I especially thank the women who helped create the major-donor program of EMILYs List. For many years, we traveled together and shared mishaps, hopes, frustrations, and joys. I will always be grateful for sharing this adventure with my friends on the Team: Judi Kanter, Judy Loeb Goldfein, Anna Lidman, Shellie Sachs Levin, Sherry Merfish, and Patricia Williams.

In February 2010, I turned over the presidency of EMILYs List to Stephanie Schriock. It has been wonderful for me to watch as EMILYs List has grown and prospered under her leadership. Stephanie and I have forged a strong relationship over these five years, and Im appreciative of her friendship and belief in the mission of EMILYs List. Craig and I thank Stephanie and some of the current staff of EMILYs List who have helped us, particularly Jess OConnell, Kate Black, Jess McIntosh, Marcy Stech, Liana Eisman, and Kate Watt.

Craig and I are both are extremely grateful to the elected women we interviewed for their candor and encouragement, including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Secty. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Gwen Moore, Gov. Janet Napolitano, Leader Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

In addition, this book would not have been possible without the help of many people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. We have had the privilege of being edited by Deanne Urmy, and throughout, her editorial judgment has been superb. We are also grateful to Michelle Triant and Ayesha Mirza at HMH, who handled the publicity and marketing aspects of the book with the highest level of professionalism. Our thanks also go out to Jenny Xu for manuscript help, Tammy Zambo for careful copyediting, and Jessica Resnick for proofreading.

Craig also thanks his agents on this book, Madeleine Morel of 2M Communications and Sloan Harris of International Creative Management, who were enormously helpful. And he appreciated enormously the friendship of Sidney and Jackie Blumenthal, whom he thanks for their generosity and hospitality during his visits to Washington. Thanks also to Howard Dickler for kindly lending Craig his upstate New York country retreat.

Craig and I thank Donald Sussman for his generous grant supporting this book, and David Thau at the American Independent Institute for facilitating it.

I thank my agents on this book, David Kuhn and Lauren Sharp of Kuhn Projects, for guiding me through the mysterious world of publishing. I thank Phillip McLaughlin and Frank Bille for their business acumen and friendship, which made it possible for me to devote time to this book. I thank Steve Rosenthal, Harold Ickes, Gina Glantz, Andy Stern, and Cecile Richards for their partnership and friendship, especially during the hectic adventure that we shared in the 2004 election. And I thank Debbie Walsh and the Center for American Women and Politics for being an important resource for me for thirty years.

I have always felt a heartfelt connection to the members and staff of EMILYs List and the candidates we support. Together, we share a deep belief in our democracy and in the important contribution of women in the leadership of our country. We have come together through EMILYs List to join our passion and political vision with generations of progressive activists and leaders who have shaped our country. It is my honor to have been partners with so many generous men and women who have the highest ideals and who follow through on their beliefs with investments of time and money. You have made the world a different place. You have shown how our country benefits when women win. My deepest gratitude goes to all of you.

Ellen R. Malcolm

This book is based primarily on Ellen Malcolms experiences and observations, as well as newsletters in EMILYs Lists archives, which were ably edited and compiled by Jeanne Duncan.

In addition, much of the information comes from firsthand interviews conducted by Craig Unger and Ellen with many of Ellens friends and colleagues in the political world, including Tammy Baldwin, Marie Bass, Mary Beth Cahill, Hillary Clinton, Betsy Crone, Rosa DeLauro, Judy Goldfein, Jane Hickie, Joanne Howes, Karin Johanson, Judi Kanter, Judith Lichtman, Sherry Merfish, Barbara Mikulski, Gwen Moore, Nancy Pelosi, Jennifer Pihlaja, Stephanie Schriock, Wendy Sherman, Joe Solmonese, Debbie Stabenow, Jennifer Treat, and Elizabeth Warren.

In addition, while on assignment for the New Republic in 1990, Craig Unger interviewed Ann Richards and Molly Ivins, among others, for an article on Richardss successful gubernatorial race.The notes that follow refer only to information we researched in books, journals, newspapers, and the Internet.

INTRODUCTION: The Last Glass Ceiling

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There were just two women: Ibid.

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But the day before: Ibid.

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1. A Political Education

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In 1971, Common Cause sued: Lawrence M. Salinger, Encyclopedia of White-Collar and Corporate Crime 2nd ed. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 2005), 1:122.

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In 1963, The Feminine Mystique: Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 20th-ann. ed. (New York: Norton, 1983).

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In 1970, Kate Milletts Sexual Politics: Kate Millett, Sexual Politics (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970); Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch (London: MacGibbon & Kee, 1970).