BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
What do a psychiatrist in Albuquerque, N.M., a free-lance writer in Holland, Mich., and a fiber artist in Juneau, Alaska, have in common?
They, and dozens of other women from 23 states and the District of Columbia, have been sending checks -- more than $50,000 worth so far -- to the campaign of Democrat Roxanne Qualls in Ohio's 1st Congressional District.
Chances are, most of them are not intimately familiar with
the record of Ms. Qualls as Cincinnati's mayor or could tell you what she has been saying in her campaign to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Chabot.
But they do know EMILY's List, the nationwide network created 13 years ago to raise money for female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.
"It has become a powerful, powerful force for pro-choice women candidates," said Debra Dodson, a senior researcher for the Center for the American Woman and Politics at Rutgers University.
For the Qualls campaign, an endorsement from EMILY's List (an acronym for "Early Money is Like Yeast" -- it makes the dough rise) and a nationwide fund-raising mailer urging members to contribute to Ms. Qualls has already produced $54,430, about 11 percent of the money Ms. Qualls has raised so far. The group will raise far more for the Qualls campaign before the campaign is over.
Two other Ohio female candidates -- U.S. Senate candidate Mary Boyle and Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the Democratic congressional candidate in the 11th Congressional District -- have had fund-raising help from EMILY's List.
Fund raising is, by far, the most difficult part of organizing any political campaign. But female candidates who are endorsed by EMILY's List can tap into a mailing list of 45,000 people around the country who are eager to give money to Democratic women who favor abortion rights.
And the campaigns that reap the rewards of EMILY's List have to do next to nothing. EMILY's List gathers the checks and forwards them to the individual candidates' campaigns. All the campaign has to do is check the mail box.
EMILY's List was founded 13 years ago by Democratic political activist Ellen Malcolm. Before EMILY's List was founded, no Democratic woman had been elected to the U.S. Senate; and the number of women in the U.S. House was declining.
Since then, the group takes credit for helping to elect six Democratic female senators, 44 House members and three governors.
"There is no question that EMILY's List was a huge factor in turning those numbers around," Ms. Dodson said. "Suddenly, pro-choice Democratic women had the resources to run and win."
Last year, EMILY's List took in about $5.4 million in contributions from individuals, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Mary Beth Cahill, EMILY's List's executive director, said members pay a $100 membership fee and are committed to contribute at least $100 each to two candidates recommended by EMILY's List. The typical EMILY's List mailer gives members brief profiles of about eight endorsed candidates and tells potential donors that contributions will go to these women or any other endorsed candidate. This year, EMILY's List has endorsed four gubernatorial candidates, seven U.S. Senate candidates and 18 House candidates. The money that has flowed into the Qualls campaign has come from a diverse group -- nearly all women -- from every region of the country.
United resources
The Qualls donors include a physical therapist from Suisun City, Calif., ($250); a New York City physician ($250), a businesswoman from San Antonio, Texas, ($1,000), and a housewife from Patagonia, Ariz., ($250).
"These are people who are probably never going to meet the people they are sending money to," Ms. Cahill said.
"You might have a school teacher in Nebraska who looks around and says, "There's nobody running here I want to support, but I like what I've heard about Roxanne Qualls, so I'll help her,' " Ms. Cahill said. In the 1st District race, there is nothing comparable to the EMILY's List fund-raising operation operating on behalf of Ms. Qualls' opponent, Mr. Chabot.
"We might get a lot of small contributions from people who are all members of one group, like Right to Life, but that isn't because of an organized campaign; they just agree with Steve on the issue," said Chabot campaign manager Shannon Walker Jones.
Ms. Qualls has been featured in one EMILY's List mailer so far; and the Qualls campaign is clearly hoping that the Cincinnati Democrat will be included in future mailings.
"It is a big help," said Qualls campaign spokeswoman Beth Davidson. "It is an excellent way of bringing together people who agree with Roxanne Qualls, not just on choice, but a whole range of issues."
Evening the playing field
Ms. Dodson said candidates who are endorsed by EMILY's List "usually breathe a sigh of relief. They know they are going to get considerable financial help."
Ms. Qualls, throughout her career as a Cincinnati City Council candidate, has shown an ability to raise large amounts of money. But Ms. Dodson said EMILY's List is an even bigger help for female congressional candidates who do not have access to political money in their own communities.
"It's helped those who don't have the ties to the big money that male candidates often have," Ms. Dodson said. "It evens the playing field a bit."
