Abigail Spanberger is a Democratic candidate to serve as the next Governor of Virginia. She previously represented Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House.
Abigail began her career of public service as a federal law enforcement officer — working money laundering and narcotics cases. Abigail then joined the CIA, where she worked undercover her entire time at the Agency as a case officer. Both at home and abroad, she collected intelligence, managed assets, and oversaw high-profile programs to combat terrorism. In 2018, Abigail became the first Democrat since 1968 — and the first woman ever — to be elected to serve the Seventh District in Congress. She served on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
Abigail grew up in Henrico County, Virginia. She attended J.R. Tucker High School and is a graduate of the University of Virginia. She and her husband Adam are the proud parents of three school-aged daughters.
Senator Mallory McMorrow is a rising star in Michigan and national politics who turned a moment into a movement to flip the state senate in Michigan. Senator McMorrow was elected in November 2018 and is currently serving her second term in her new district SD-8. Mallory is the Senate Majority Whip and is proud to serve in a leadership role as Chair of the Economic & Community Development Committee, Vice Chair of the Oversight committee, as well as a member on the Elections & Ethics, Appropriations, and LEO/MEDC committees.
After being attacked with outrageous accusations by her GOP colleague, Mallory made an impassioned speech that went viral. She leveraged this notoriety to call out hypocrisy and stand up for her constituents – and raise millions of dollars to flip the state senate and lift up Democratic power. She is a new voice in the Democratic party and one that you will be hearing about for years to come.
Mallory’s long term goal is to build Democratic power in state legislatures, starting with Michigan. She believes that state legislatures are where policies are made that impact for far too long, Democrats have neglected statehouses, and ceded ground to Republicans.
McMorrow gained more than a decade of experience in product design, media, and advertising through her work with Mazda, Mattel, Gawker Media, Hearst, and other global brands. She brings a fresh, creative and collaborative approach to addressing and solving some of our state’s most complex issues. She earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame and resides in Royal Oak with her husband, Ray, their daughter, Noa, and their rescue dog, Detroit.
A’shanti Gholar is the President of Emerge. In this role, she leads the organization and steers its overall strategy and direction, overseeing a national staff as well as affiliates across the country. Her relationship with Emerge started in 2006 when she was a founding board member of Emerge Nevada. She then joined the national staff as our first Political Director and was the architect of Emerge’s national expansion from 15 to 27 states. Today, A’shanti is a nationally recognized political strategist with over two decades of experience as a grassroots organizer and activist for women, communities of color and progressive causes. Prior to coming to Emerge, A’shanti served as the National Deputy Director of Community Engagement and Director of African American Engagement for the Democratic National Committee. A’shanti has also served as the Manager of National Partnerships for United Way Worldwide, as a political appointee in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor and as the Director of Public Engagement for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee in Charlotte, NC.
In all her spare time, she is also the founder of The Brown Girls Guide to Politics, an award-winning podcast that was featured as one of the top political podcasts by Time Magazine, Teen Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She also sits on the Engagement Committee of Heart of a Nation, an organization that empowers the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
