Emerge Maine, an advocacy and training group supporting Democratic women seeking political office, says it already has 30 candidates running for state Legislature this year, a record for the group.
“The women who participate in these programs receive the highest-quality training from experts in running for office. They also become part of a network of women who support and lift up one another,” says Kathy Kilrain del Rio, chairwoman of the group.
Del Rio says the group already has 24 candidates for the House of Representatives and seven for the state Senate, with the filing deadline more than six weeks away. She says similar groups across the country are also reporting a surge in recruitment of Democratic women for office.
“Emerge women serving in the Legislature and in leadership right now are making a real difference in the lives of Maine families every single day. I know that the next Legislature will be made even stronger because there will be more Emerge women serving in it,” she says.
