FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2016
CONTACT: Anne Wakabayashi
(717) 480-0149; anne@emergepa.org
Emerge Pennsylvania Executive Director to Introduce Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Philadelphia Rally
Philadelphia, Pa.—Emerge Philadelphia, the state’s premier organization for recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office, announced its executive director, Anne Wakabayashi, will introduce former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today at a Get Out the Vote Rally in the Philadelphia City Hall Courtyard at 7:15 p.m. Sec. Clinton is in Philadelphia to excite supporters and drum up the Democratic base in her journey to win the state’s primary election, which will take place tomorrow, and secure the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
“Sec. Clinton exemplifies exactly what our country should be looking for in a leader, and I’m excited to introduce her at today’s rally,” said Wakabayashi. “Her steadfast leadership and decades of experience fighting for important issues, such as women’s rights, civil liberties, fair labor practices, healthcare, education and more is unmatched by any of her opponents. In addition, as a woman who has reached the highest echelons of politics, Sec. Clinton understands the challenges women face when they decide to run for office. She’s a great inspiration to the women in Emerge Pennsylvania’s training program and women across the country considering a career in politics, and her candidacy shines like a beacon of light on women still fighting to achieve gender parity in government.”
Despite making some gains over the past decades, women are still significantly underrepresented in our decision-making bodies at all levels. Nationwide, women make up just 19.4 percent of the U.S. Congress and a mere 24.4 percent of state legislatures. In Pennsylvania, the numbers are even lower with women comprising only 17.7 percent of the state House and 18 percent of the state Senate. What’s more, none of the Keystone State’s 18 U.S. Representatives or two U.S. Senators are women, and the state has never had a female governor.
“The low representation of women in Pennsylvania’s government and in decision-making bodies across the country is a grave problem we must work together to address,” said Wakabayashi. “I know Sec. Clinton shares Emerge Pennsylvania’s vision of seeing more women elected to positions at all levels, and I hope her candidacy will inspire women across the country to run for office and help us reach equal representation for women in our decision-making bodies.”
Emerge Pennsylvania is one of the newest additions to Emerge America’s 16-state network of organizations that recruit and train Democratic women to run for office. Women who are accepted to the Emerge program receive 70 hours of in-depth education over six months that inspires them to run and gives them the tools to win. Candidates also meet an array of dynamic women who hold elected and appointed office and become part of a supportive network, which includes a national association of Emerge alumnae, the Emerge board and advisory council members.
To date, the Emerge America network has trained more than 2,000 Democratic women to run for office. About half those alumnae have gone on to run for political office or have been appointed to local boards or commissions, and of those who have gone on to run for an elected position, 70 percent have won.
The rally for Sec. Clinton will be held in the Philadelphia City Hall Courtyard, 1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, from 7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. For more information on the event or to RSVP, please visit https://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/view/BD46MCF6SZ7E6MUP/.
For information on Emerge Pennsylvania or to learn how to apply for their training program, please visit their website at www.emergepa.org.
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