In her bid for Vermont’s lone seat in the U.S. House, Democratic nominee Becca Balint has the coveted endorsement of Emily’s List, one of the most influential political action committees operating nationwide.
Emily’s List exclusively supports Democratic, pro-abortion rights women running for office, and has grown increasingly prominent in the years since former-President Donald Trump was first elected. According to The New York Times, an Emily’s List endorsement “is one of the most sought-after for Democratic women candidates,” not only being highly recognizable, but also opening the door to heavy-hitting donors, advisers and strategists.
In a Thursday morning news release, Emily’s List President Laphonza Butler applauded Balint’s work in the Vermont Legislature on reproductive health access, saying Balint was “critical for the state of Vermont to pass one of the most progressive reproductive health care bills in the country.”
“As the only state that has never sent a woman to Congress, it is far past time that we elect a pro-choice champion like Balint to represent Vermont, and EMILY’s List is proud to endorse her campaign as she seeks to make history,” Butler said.
Of more than 27,000 political organizations tracked by OpenSecrets, Emily’s List ranks as the 100th largest donor, contributing to individual candidates as well as outside organizations. So far in the 2022 midterm election cycle, the PAC has spent more than $53 million, and in 2020, it spent nearly $80 million. Its affiliated super PAC Women Vote! has spent nearly $13 million so far this cycle. Emily is an acronym for “early money is like yeast,” meaning it makes the dough rise, according to the PAC’s website.
— Sarah Mearhoff
Read the story on VTDigger here: Balint wins high-profile endorsement of Emily’s List, one of the nation’s most influential PACs.