Vote Mama Monthly Newsletter
December 2023 Edition: This Year's Recap

Welcome to a special edition of the Vote Mama Monthly Newsletter! 

What a truly amazing year it’s been.. From national press hits to HUGE election victories to nearly doubling the size of our team, this year was not short on wins for Vote Mama and our trailblazing candidates. Together, we’re looking back on our achievements this year as we prepare to buckle down for the consequential 2024 elections!

Here are some highlights from 2023:

2023 ELECTION VICTORIES

79% of our Vote Mama endorsed candidates won their general elections — that’s 48 winning mamas! We’re proud to be breaking barriers and making history with these trailblazing moms who had victories in 2023:

• 65% are non-incumbents
• 42% identify as women of color
• 31% are first generation college graduates
• 17% flipped their seats from RED to BLUE
• 17% are or will become the first moms ever to hold their seats
• 17% identify as LGBTQ+

Other Key Highlights:

• Vote Mama candidate Lashrecse Aird’s primary victory—when she defeated the only anti-choice Democrat in the Virginia Senate—earlier this year was a signal of what was to come in November.
• As the ONLY Southern state that hadn't enacted an abortion ban, we knew that Virginia state was key to protecting abortion access in the South. We needed to flip 3 seats to win the House of Delegates, as well as hold majority of the Senate — and our Vote Mama pro-choice Democratic moms in Virginia succeeded in winning 12 key seats — including Russet Perry whose victory announcement on election night confirmed that we had held the Senate and avoided a Republican trifecta.
• Ohioans voted on abortion via a ballot measure called Issue One, and in doing so enshrined abortion in the state’s constitution.
• TWO of our Vote Mama school board candidates defeated their extremist opponents from the hate group Moms for Liberty.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

Our moms continue to accomplish meaningful policy changes, and Vote Mama is there to offer them continued support as they make a difference in their communities. Here are just a few of our candidates and alumni who made an impact in office this year:

• Nebraska State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh made national headlines when she led a filibuster on the Senate floor in protest of a Republican bill that would ban gender-affirming, life-saving care to trans youth. In a devastating outcome, the GOP succeeded in passing the anti-trans bill — but the fight isn’t over. Since then, Machaela has launched her own organization along with Megan Hunt to elect more folks who will stand up for trans kids.
• Making Strides on Campaign Funds for Childcare (CFCC) — In Michigan, Vote Mama alumni State Rep. Rachel Hood and State Sen. Stephanie Chang introduced CFCC bills to the state legislature, along with support from Vote Mama alumna MI Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who testified in favor of the bills.
• Reproductive justice champions — in March, two of our Vote Mama alumni, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Attorney General Charity Clark, joined a lawsuit against the FDA’s restriction to access of the abortion pill.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Vote Mama made lots of headlines, but we’re especially proud of a piece in Politico featuring our fearless CEO, Liuba Grechen Shirley. Liuba spoke with Politico about the cultural and structural barriers moms face when they run for office, our legislative advocacy to tear down those barriers, and Vote Mama Foundation’s mission to pass Campaign Funds for Childcare in all 50 states!

• We’re so proud to have our work recognized by Melinda French Gates in the Washington Post! We’re thrilled that Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company, is supporting our work to break down barriers and get more moms into office. 

VOTE MAMA IRL/ON THE GROUND

• Vote Mama Founder & CEO, Liuba Grechen Shirley, along with her daughter Mila, joined Governor Kathy Hochul at the Governor’s mansion for a women’s rights celebration! Hochul is the first woman ever elected as Governor of NY and was also the first member of our Vote Mama’s Advisory Committee!

• The Vote Mama team was on the ground in Washington, D.C. with 3 Congressmamas -- Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Brittany Pettersen, and Rep. Hillary Scholten -- to discuss the findings of Vote Mama Foundation’s latest Politics of Parenthood Report that revealed mamas are just 7% of Congress These incredible Vote Mama alumni shared their real-life experiences including how their support of one another has provided a strong sense of community. We discussed how we’re working to change the system and why we need to elect more moms to level the playing field and achieve meaningful policy change!

• And, we’re so proud to announce that our team is growing, and we’ve hired 5 new people! We’ve nearly doubled in size — which means we have more people power to fuel us through the 2024 election year. Here’s a new team photo of us during our recent staff meetup in DC! 

NEXT STOP →2024:
After some historic and groundbreaking victories this year, we are beyond proud of our mamas, our team, and our grassroots supporters like you — our hard work paid off! We’re positive about continuing these achievements for Democrats into the new year, but if we’re going to do that, it’s crucial that we don’t let the momentum die down. The GOP is going to be back with a vengeance in 2024, and we need to be fully equipped to defeat their far-right extremist agenda. Early money is critical to ensuring our mamas have enough fuel to take on these tough fights next year, so before we close the books on 2023, we’re asking you to rush a $20.24 donation today. Can we please count on you to pitch in right now to help us close out the year strong, as we buckle down for the long road ahead in 2024?

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Vote Mama is the first PAC in the country dedicated to increasing the political power of Democratic moms. We believe that our country needs more moms representing our neighborhoods, our communities, and our families because we know that they are dedicated to investing in equitable solutions for future generations to come. Vote Mama helps moms break barriers to running for office by disrupting the systems that hold women back through providing direct financial support, mentorship, and endorsements.

Pitch in today to help us elect more moms to be the voice of our communities and keep our families safe >>