Emerge California Selection Criteria
Emerge California seeks Democratic self-identified
women who reflect the communities they serve and
who are committed to running for elected office
in the next 1-3 years
Emerge California’s signature program is a 6-month, intensive training program for Democratic self-identified women who are planning to run for elected office. The training equips leaders with the resources, knowledge, connections and community of support necessary for a successful run as a candidate.
Emerge California is intentional about recruiting Democratic self-identified women from groups that have been historically underrepresented in politics, including Black women, non-Black women of color, Indigenous women, and LGBTQ+ women. We seek to recruit and train leaders who reflect the communities they serve and have the life experiences that allow them to reimagine and rebuild institutions that have resulted in the inequities we are grappling with today.
Emerge California will select 15-20 women for each of our three regional cohorts (Northern California, Southern California and Central Valley) for the Class of 2021. Invitations to participate in the Class of 2021 will be offered to Democratic self-identified women who meet the criteria below and who best demonstrate through the application and interview process that they have the experience, interest and commitment to participate fully in the Emerge California candidate training program and, most importantly, to serve as future elected leaders.
Program Eligibility
- An applicant must currently be a registered Democrat.
- An applicant must reside in the State of California.
- An applicant must self-identify as a woman.
- Attendance at all training sessions and commitment to full program participation.
- Residence in the cohort region to which the applicant is applying. Read about our “Cohort Regions” here.
Selection Criteria
- Track record of values-driven leadership.
- Commitment to racial justice and equity.
- Involvement in and commitment to one’s community, in public service and in politics.
- Demonstrated interest and commitment to developing a pathway to elected office.
- Commitment to running for elected office in the 1-3 years following graduation from the program.
- Interest and commitment to issues that can be addressed through the desired political office.
- Understanding of the resources necessary to run for office.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate mission and vision as a future elected official.
- Demonstrated success in setting and achieving organizational goals.
- Demonstrated ability to bring together disparate groups to achieve a goal.
- Demonstrated effort and thoughtfulness into the completion of the application.
Sign up on our
Class of 2021 Interest Form
so we can stay in touch with you about the
application and recruitment process!
