Why Anne Wakabayashi Wants More Women in Local and State Government

The decision to run for a public office role in government isn’t an easy one, especially when considering things such as how your public image will affect you and your family or the dreaded act of fundraising.

But if the 2016 presidential election — and the resulting aftershocks — has showed voters anything, it’s that they want change.

Emerge Pennsylvania, a two-year-old affiliate of the national organization Emerge America, operates with the belief that change can start by getting more Democratic women into office. The org hopes to achieve that by both encouraging and training a cohort of women to run through its seven-month training program.