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Elect Democratic Women

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Full article adapted from Wikipedia revision 1374911463 by Wikipedia contributors. Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting has been adapted; article text and references are retained. Snapshot imported 2026-09-25.
American political organization

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Elect Democratic Women
Formation2018; 8 years ago (2018)[1]
FoundersJoyce Beatty
Julia Brownley
Cheri Bustos
Katherine Clark
Lois Frankel
Annie Kuster
Lucille Roybal-Allard
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Chair
Lois Frankel[2]
Budget$11.28 million (2024)[3]
Revenue$11.73 million (2024)[3]
Websiteelectdemocraticwomen.org

Elect Democratic Women is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect female Democratic pro-choice candidates to office. It was founded by seven congresswomen[a] in 2018.[1]

The group primarily supports female candidates in competitive districts who are "capable of raising money".[6] One of their primary strategies is to connect donors directly to campaigns, rather than running advertisements for candidates.[6]

History

The organization was founded in preparation for the 2018 midterms by seven female House Democrats. It was inspired by the successful fundraising arms of the Democratic-aligned Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus.[7]

Campaign watchdog group OpenSecrets reported that the group had raised a record US$11.73 million in the 2024 election cycle, up from $7.89 million in 2022 and $8.5 million in 2020.[3] Speaking to The 19th, founding member Lois Frankel said the group aim to have 100 women simultaneously serving in the U.S. House after the 2026 midterms, up from 94 women in 2025.[1]

In 2024, Frankel stated that Elect Democratic Women had supported the campaigns of "nearly every Democratic woman elected to Congress since 2018."[8] By 2026, Elect Democratic Women had raised over $40 million and supported over 200 female candidates running for office.[9] The group is affiliated with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue program, which financially supports candidates with a viable chance of beating Republican incumbents.[10] The PAC received $1 million from the United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, and $37,750 from Democratic Majority for Israel in 2026.[11]

Endorsements

2018

In the 2018 midterm elections, Elect Democratic Women supported Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Katie Hill (CA-25) in their successful bids to flip Republican-held congressional districts.[10]

2020

In 2020, Elect Democratic Women donated $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund.[12] They supported a number of challengers in traditionally Republican districts, including Patricia Timmons-Goodson in NC-08, Candace Valenzuela in TX-24 and Michelle De La Isla in KS-02.[12] The group backed Xochitl Torres Small's unsuccessful re-election bid in NM-02, and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell's campaign in FL-26, though they helped re-elect Susan Wild (PA-07), Susie Lee (NV-03) and Abigail Spanberger (VA-07).[12]

2022

Elect Democratic Women supported at least 93 female candidates in the 2022 midterm elections,[6] including Emilia Sykes in her successful bid to flip OH-13 and Nikki Budzinski in IL-13.[13] They helped re-elect Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Sharice Davids (KS-03), both of whom won in districts that voted Republican in consecutively-held races.[13]

2024

The group endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.[14] They backed Mary Peltola's close unsuccessful re-election bid in AK-AL,[15] and supported Christina Bohannan in IA-01, where she lost by less than 800 votes in a seat with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+4.[15]

2025

In 2025, Elect Democratic Women endorsed Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia gubernatorial election,[14] and Mikie Sherill in the New Jersey gubernatorial election.[16] The group also endorsed Aftyn Behn in the special election for TN-07.[16]

2026

Angie Craig of Minnesota and Haley Stevens of Michigan, both moderate Democrats, were supported by Elect Democratic Women in their 2026 U.S. Senate campaigns,[16] as was Robin Kelly of Illinois,[17] Mary Peltola of Alaska, and Janet Mills of Maine.[18] The group endorsed former U.S. representative Melissa Bean, a centrist,[19] in her bid to retake her old seat.[20]

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c Panetta, Grace (August 6, 2025). "Democratic women in the House are trying to grow their ranks to 100". The 19th. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "Elect Democratic Women Expands Board with Seven New Members". Elect Democratic Women. April 10, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "PAC Profile: Elect Democratic Women". OpenSecrets. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Elect Democratic Women". Rutgers-New Brunswick Eagleton Institute of Politics. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  5. ^ "About". Elect Democratic Women. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Mansfield, Erin; Kuchar, Savannah. "Outnumbered Republican women raise cash to combat well-funded Democrats on Election Day". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  7. ^ "Democratic lawmakers launch PAC to elect more women to Congress". POLITICO. September 20, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Kapos, Shia (October 7, 2024). "Brandon Johnson's October surprise". POLITICO. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  9. ^ "CHC BOLD PAC, Elect Democratic Women, and Women Vote Launch $1 Million Paid Program to Support Denise Powell in NE-02". CHC BOLD PAC. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Akin, Stephanie (September 20, 2018). "Democratic Women in Congress Launch Campaign to Recruit More Female Candidates". Roll Call. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  11. ^ Lacy, Akela (July 15, 2026). "Democrats Are Desperate to Flip an Arizona House Seat. They're Rallying Around a Former Republican". The Intercept. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c "Elect Democratic Women PAC to PAC/Party". OpenSecrets. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Elect Democratic Women PAC to PAC/Party". OpenSecrets. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Candidates". Elect Democratic Women. October 13, 2024. Archived from the original on October 13, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ a b "Elect Democratic Women Profile: Summary". OpenSecrets. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  16. ^ a b c "Candidates". Elect Democratic Women. November 16, 2025. Archived from the original on November 16, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ Lesniewski, Niels (June 12, 2025). "At the races: Democrats get a reprieve". Roll Call. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  18. ^ "Candidates". Elect Democratic Women. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  19. ^ Balk, Tim (March 18, 2026). "Centrist Melissa Bean Wins 8th District Democratic Primary". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  20. ^ "Endorsements by Elect Democratic Women". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
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