05/13/2002 Archived Entry: "EMILY's & the election races in OR/WV"

Is EMILY's list fixated on the federal races to the detriment of the Gubernatorial races? For example, contrast the WV 2nd race with the OR Gov race.

In WV, perhaps Workman's biggest ally is EMILY's List, a national organization that backs female candidates who support abortion rights. The group has funneled about $150,000 to Workman from contributors nationwide.

In OR, Stein, the former Multnomah County chairwoman and lawmaker, scored a $10,000 donation from EMILY’s list, which stands for Early Money is Like Yeast. The national political committee tries to get women elected by helping them early in races, but their support came late in the primary.

It sure seemed like a no-brainer for EMILY's to support Stein, the only woman running among 5 men for Governor in OR. Perhaps they wrote this race off early, when Stein was in single-digits, with Kulongoski having 46% of the vote? Without a doubt, EMILY's is part of the reason why Workman has a slim, 40-38 poll lead over Humphries, going into the primary. But the yeast didn't show up early for the progressive Stein in OR. Not until the polls showed it as a toss-up, with just a few weeks remaining until the vote, did EMILY's realize that this race was winnable for Stein.