November 20, 2018
Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and executive director of MomsRising Together, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the final results of the 2018 election.
“The 2018 election was a tremendous step forward for America’s moms and women, for our democracy and our country. This election was powered by moms and brought historic results, with the House of Representatives becoming more female, more diverse, inclusive of more moms, and much more supportive of the issues that matter most to the country’s moms and women.
“MomsRising Together made independent expenditures in support of female candidates in 27 House races this year and, now that all the votes have been counted, we are thrilled that 22 of the candidates we supported won. That’s an 81 percent victory rate! It is especially noteworthy because many of the candidates we chose to support faced steep challenges. In fact, an astonishing 17 of our 22 wins were in districts that had Republican representatives, so all those were converted from ‘red’ to ‘blue.’ The candidates we helped propel to victory also included the first Native American and Muslim women ever elected to Congress, many moms, and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
“In addition, two of the three the candidates MomsRising Together supported in U.S. Senate races – challengers Jacky Rosen from Nevada and Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona – won as well.
“While there were some devastating losses this year, including in Stacey Abrams’ race for the Governor’s seat in Georgia, the historic wins give us big hope for the future.
“Our independent expenditures this year totaled more than $200,000. We texted moms who don’t always vote, sent postcards to moms who needed an extra boost to vote this year and shared critically important information on candidates’ positions via social media, reaching millions of moms. We reached deep into the voter file to connect with infrequent mom voters and mobilized our communities to get out the vote. Early data shows our work helped measurably increase voter turnout in the areas where we focused.
“We thank all the moms across the nation who stepped up to be voters, to raise voters, and to increase participation in democracy in 2018. We intend to continue and build on this work because we know we will not create the change we need in one year or one election cycle, or with one set of candidates. The wave of change we created will continue to grow. We intend to inspire even more voters in upcoming elections, including 2020. This is a fight for our lives and our children’s lives, and we will continue to push for the policies that will lift our families and economy, create the best and most-reflective democracy, and give us the country all of our children need and deserve.”
MomsRising Together supported the following U.S. House candidates who won their races this year:
- Angie Craig (MN-02)
- Sharice Davids (KS-03)
- Veronica Escobar (TX-16)
- Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)
- Deb Haaland (NM-01)
- Jahana Hayes (CT-05)
- Katie Hill (CA-25)
- Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06)
- Lucy McBath (GA-06)
- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
- Ilhan Omar (MN-05)
- Katie Porter (CA-45)
- Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
- Kim Schrier (WA-08)
- Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)
- Elissa Slotkin (MI-08)
- Abigail Spanberger (VA-07)
- Rashida Tlaib (MI-13)
- Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02)
- Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
- Jennifer Wexton (VA-10)
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MomsRising Together supports candidates who mirror its membership and the country, and supports moms, women and women of color who are running for office. In selecting candidates to support in 2018, the organization also looked for places where moms could have an impact and prioritized races where emerging leaders could rise and make a significant difference. The organization takes on critical issues facing women, mothers and families by educating the public and mobilizing grassroots engagement to: bring the voices and real-world experiences of women and mothers straight to our local, state and national leaders; amplify women’s voices and policy issues in the national dialogue and in the media across all platforms (from print, to radio, to blogs, social media, and more); accelerate grassroots impact on Capitol Hill and at state capitols across the country; and hold corporations accountable for fair treatment of women and mothers and for ensuring the safety of their products.