John,

It’s official: this November, Virginia will make history by electing its first woman governor.

But here’s the truth: not every woman candidate stands for progress.

The race is between Emerge alum Abigail Spanberger and an anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, pro-Trump woman whose values couldn’t be further from what we fight for.

Emerge isn’t here just to recruit and train women. We’re here to train women who believe in:

• Protecting reproductive freedom
   
• Expanding access to healthcare and childcare
   
• Defending democracy and voting rights
   
• Creating opportunities for every community
   
• Standing up to extremism in every form

Abigail Spanberger represents the very best of what it means to be an Emerge woman. She’s a former CIA officer and member of Congress, and a proven fighter for Virginia families. Her race is personal for me, as she represented me in Congress, and I had the privilege of working on her first re-election campaign to Congress in 2020.

And now, she’s running to make history and stop Trump’s agenda from taking hold in the last Southern state protecting basic reproductive freedoms.

Will you contribute today to help Emerge train and support more women like Abigail?

In this moment, representation alone isn’t enough. We need leaders with courage. With conviction. With values that reflect the communities they serve.

That’s what it means to be an Emerge woman.

Jasmine Smith
Deputy Development Director, Emerge