Today, more than 200 alums serve in elected office, including Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis; State Controller Malia Cohen; State Senators Aisha Wahab and Marie Alvarado-Gil, State Assemblymembers Dawn Addis, Lori Wilson, Mia Bonta, Pilar Schiavo, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran; Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Young Yaroslavsky; and San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott.
- In-Depth Training: Emerge California offers the only long-term, in-depth, intensive candidate training for Democratic women.
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- A Holistic Training Approach: We provide all the knowledge and resources needed — the “nuts and bolts” of being a candidate — to run a successful campaign. We address the issues, challenges, and big questions that are important to explore. And, we connect our program members to the leaders, elected officials, campaign experts, and organizations they need to know as a Democratic candidate.
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- Training for Women: Running for office as a woman comes with a unique set of challenges, issues, and hardships. From addressing the sexism women face on the campaign trail, to why fundraising is often more challenging for women, we discuss and prepare you for the challenges that will come your way as a candidate. We also recognize and discuss the additional challenges that come with running for office as a woman from historically excluded communities in politics, including the New American Majority — Black, Brown and Indigenous women, women of color, LGBTQ+ women, young, and unmarried women.
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- Training with a Purpose: We train leaders who are aligned with our vision to create a just and equitable world and who are running for office to reimagine and rebuild systems that have historically excluded so many. Woven throughout the training curriculum is a focus on how to fight for racial justice and equity as a candidate and elected leader.
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- The Emerge Sisterhood: As an Emerge California program member, you become part of a sisterhood. This sisterhood is a circle of support, built by a community bonded together with a common goal. It is often cited by Emerge California Alums as the reason why they run for office, and the reason why they win. As our program members embark on one of the hardest journeys of their lives, it is the Emerge sisterhood that will be there for them along the way.
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- Alum Network: The Emerge California alum network is made up of more than 900 women who are seeking to make change. While many are doing so through elected office, others are doing so as commissioners, leaders within the California Democratic Party, advocates, CEOs, nonprofit executive directors, scientists, professors and leaders across every sector in California. Once our program members graduate from the Emerge California training, they have the opportunity to connect with the entire alum network. Additionally, they are connected to the national alum network through Emerge, our national partner.