Washington Emerge Alums Secure Primary Victories, Look to November

Washington Emerge Alums Secure Primary Victories, Look to November

200+ Emerge Alums Nationally on the Ballot this Fall

Washington, DC— With the Washington state primary results in, Emerge, the nation’s premier organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, is sending at least 200 alums to the general election, with more primaries to come. These 17 women will join the 183 Emerge alums nationally who will be on the November ballot.

“In spite of the significant gains in representation for women over the past 20 years, women continue to be underrepresented at every level of government. This impacts everything from their ability to access healthcare to equal pay. Emerge is on a mission to change this,” said Emerge President A’shanti F. Gholar. 

“These primary wins are a vital step in building on the successes of Emerge in 2022, where we saw 71% of candidates win in the general election. We will continue our groundbreaking training work until women achieve equal representation in all governing bodies. With our work on school board elections, with leadership programs like Seated Together for Black women elected officials seeking higher office, and trainings like Gavel In that prepare women to run for judge, Emerge is investing in women at every level. That’s why our alums continue to win campaigns and deliver for their communities once in office.”

Emerge alums that won in Tuesday’s Washington primary include three first time candidates running for Seattle City Council – Maren Costa (District 1), Tanya Woo (District 2), and Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), alongside first time candidate for Mayor of Bellingham Kim Lund. Emerge attributes the wins of these first time candidates to the strength of the training program and network. 

Emerge alums who will be on the ballot in November across the country include: 

• Colonel Pam Stevenson, the first Black woman to be nominated for Kentucky Attorney General, who would make history as the first Black woman to serve in the role.
• Britnee Timberlake, current member of the New Jersey General Assembly running for New Jersey state Senate. Timberlake has been in the Assembly since 2018, when she replaced the late NJ Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver who ascended to statewide office.
• Danica Roem, Virginia state Delegate running for Virginia state Senate. Roem would become the first out transgender member to serve in both chambers of any state legislature.
• Adele McClure, running for the Virginia House of Delegates, who would become the first out Black LGBTQ+ woman to represent Northern Virginia.
• Damaris Lira, candidate for Sussex County, NJ Commission, who would make history as the first Afro-Latina to serve on this commission.
• Rachel Ezzell Berry, a county-wide judicial officer running for Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Berry honed her skills in Emerge’s award-winning Gavel In training program, which was created to train women who want to run for judge.
• Heather Reynolds, a first time candidate running for school board in the Central Bucks School District of Pennsylvania, a district that has made national headlines for their fight against far-right extremist control of the school board. 

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About Emerge

Emerge has one goal: To increase the number of Democratic women in office who are reflective of the incredible diversity of the Democratic party by recruiting, training, and providing a powerful network. Since 2002, Emerge has trained over 5,500 Democratic women to run for office, and currently more than 1,200 Emerge alums serve in elected office. Emerge is committed to reaching 100,000 women of the New American Majority over the next 15 years, fostering a lift as you climb culture for women in politics, and repowering political structures. There are more than two dozen state affiliates, and the organization has impacted a total of 45 states, Washington, D.C. and territories.