FEMINIST MAJORITY PAC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Iowa State Representative from the 99 Th District
- Republican Representative
Abby Finkenauer is currently the Iowa State Representative from the 99 th District who is running for Iowa's 1 st Congressional District. In the state legislature she has supported the working class families in her district and worked to protect them from being taken advantage of by wealthy corporations. She supports affordable education for all people, women's rights, and is an advocate for worker's rights in the state of Iowa.
Abby Finkenauer was born and raised in Dubuque County where her father was a Union Pipe fitter Welder and her mother an employee of Dubuque Community Schools. Finkenauer is a first generation college graduate and earned her degree at Drake University. She currently serves on the board of Greater Dubuque Development Corporation and has worked at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. She was awarded the 2017 Rising Star Award by the Democratic Activist Women's Network. In the state legislature she has supported the working class families in her district and worked to protect them from being taken advantage of by wealthy corporations. She supports affordable education for all people, women's rights, and is an advocate for worker's rights in the state of Iowa.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is running to represent New York's 14 th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez, the winner of a hard-won Democratic primary where she faced off against 10-term incumbent representative Joe Crowley, will run against a Republican candidate in the November 6 general election. The Republican candidate is Anthony Pappas, an economics and finance professor at St. Johns University. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young, socialist, Latina activist is a progressive political newcomer and a true champion for immigrants and low-income communities of color. If elected, Ocasio-Cortez would become the youngest individual to ever serve in Congress and is slated to become the first Latina to represent her district.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born and in the Bronx, New York, to a father from the South Bronx and a mother, born and raised in Puerto Rico. Ocasio-Cortez grew up in a working class household where everyone would contribute to the family business and her mother cleaned houses and drove school buses in order to keep her family afloat. Ocasio-Cortez grew up with an intimate understanding of economic inequality, often saying that she was "born in a place where your ZIP code determines your destiny".
Ocasio-Cortez has always worked to uplift vulnerable communities. During her time at Boston University, where she earned degrees in Economics and International Relations, she worked for the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). There, she handled foreign affairs and immigration casework for constituent families. After finishing her degree, she returned to the Bronx and worked in education and community organizing as an Education Director at the National Hispanic Institute. However, when the 2008 financial crisis set in Ocasio-Cortez's father passed away, leaving her family without their primary source of income. Like many other families in New York and across the country, Ocasio-Cortez's family struggled under those difficult economic circumstances and she was forced to take on extra jobs as a waitress and a bartender in order to help her family keep their home.
Throughout her career as an education and community organizer, Ocasio-Cortez has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the lives of low-income individuals, communities of color and immigrants. Through her grassroots, community-funded campaign, she has also shown a strong desire to keep Wall Street banks and luxury developers accountable in a district where normal families struggle to afford the increasing standards of living.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran against 10-year incumbent Joe Crowley and won, in a stunning political victory where Ocasio-Cortez was outspent by a great margin of 10 to 1. Throughout her campaign she made sure to reach out to often ignored nonvoters in a district with a low voter turnout..
is running to be the next Junior Senator from Texas! An El Paso native, Beto has fought for progressive values since he began his career.
Betsy Rader is running for Ohio's 14 th District against Republican incumbent Dave Joyce. OH-14 contains all of Ashtabula, Lake, and Geauga Counties, in addition to eastern Cuyahoga County, northern Trumbull County, northern Portage County, and northeastern Summit County. Rader is a civil rights lawyer and healthcare advocate who is running for her first elected office.
Bibiana Boerio is running to represent Pennsylvania's 14 th district in Congress, a new district, most of which was represented by Democrat Conor Lamb prior to the recent Pennsylvania redistricting. This district now covers Southwest Pennsylvania including Washington and Uniontown, PA.
Chrissy Houlahan is running against incumbent Republican Ryan Costello in Pennsylvania's 6th District. Chrissy is a military veteran, engineer, entrepreneur, educator and mom. Although Cook rates this race as Lean Republican, it is being said that Costello is in trouble and Chrissy has a real chance of winning this seat.
Dan McCready was raised in North Carolina and grew up going to the Charlotte public schools. After 9/11, McCready served in the Marine Corps in Iraq. Upon his return to the United States, he attended the Harvard Business School. Following his graduation, he began working at McKinley and Company before starting a business in Charlotte distributing materials for solar farms throughout North Carolina, eventually making the state #2 in solar capacity.
Dan McCready will face off against Mark Harris, a far right candidate. Harris is a strong supporter of gun rights, building a Mexico-U.S. border wall, and against same sex marriage. As head of the State Baptist Convention, he led the campaign for passage of a statewide ban against same-sex marriage. Mark Harris defeated the incumbent, Robert Pittenger, in the Republican primary elections. While rated as Lean Republican by the Cook Political Report, Dan McCready was added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue list and a July 2018 Civitas Institute poll shows McCready leading by seven points.
Dr. Kim Schrier is running to represent the 8 th District of Washington in the United States House of Representatives. She won the Democratic primary on August 7th and will face Republican State Senator Dino Rossi. The Republican incumbent, Rep. Dave Reichert, is retiring, creating a pickup opportunity for Democrats in Washington's 8 th district. Dr. Schrier is a pediatrician and a champion for working women and families. Woman physicians currently lack representation in Congress, and electing Dr. Schrier to the House of Representatives would ensure that Washington's 8 th District is represented by a highly qualified advocate for women's healthcare and reproductive rights.
Dr. Kim Schrier is a pediatrician who has lived in Issaquah, Washington for 16 years. The daughter of an aerospace engineer and an elementary school teacher, Dr. Schrier is a proud product of public schools who was raised to value the importance of quality public education. Dr. Schrier knows firsthand the importance of access to healthcare because she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager. She received her undergraduate degree in Astrophysics, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Schrier received her medical degree from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and her pediatric residency from the Children's Hospital at Stanford. Dr. Schrier has since dedicated her career to bettering the lives of families in Washington's 8 th District as a pediatrician.
Elissa Slotkin won the Democratic primary by over 40 percent on August 7. Her general election opponent, Republican incumbent Mike Bishop, is notoriously known for working to exempt banks and the top 1% at the expense of the middle and working class. Elissa Slotkin is dedicated to work on bipartisanship in an increasingly divisive political climate in order to focus on saving the middle class. Mike Bishop was also one of the Republican representatives to vote to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans' attempts to repeal the ACA is what initially inspired Elissa to run for office. She has also out-raised her opponent despite his seniority.
Gil Cisneros is the Democratic candidate for California's 39 th District in Northern Orange County which includes Fullerton and Yorba Linda. He will face Republican candidate Young Kim in the general election for the open seat. Current Republican Representative Ed Royce is not seeking re-election. Cisneros is a decorated Navy Veteran and a philanthropist focused on access to education. He is dedicated to protecting women's rights including reproductive rights, Equal Pay for Equal Work, and paid family leave.
Gil Cisneros attended George Washington University on a ROTC scholarship, graduating with a BA in Political Science. Cisneros went on to serve ten years as a US Naval Officer, receiving several awards including the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. He then worked as a shipping and manufacturing manager for Frito-Lay. After being laid off from the company in 2010, Cisneros bought a lottery ticket and won $266 million dollars.
Since winning the lottery, Cisneros has become an active philanthropist in education. He and his wife founded the Generation First Degree Pico Rivera to increase access to higher education for the Latino population of Pico Rivera. They also founded The Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation which works to strengthen public schools and send more students and veterans to college. In addition to his foundations, Cisneros supports Yellow Ribbon programs, local scholarship funds, and an endowment for dependents of former Navy Supply Corps personnel.
Cisneros later continued his education and received his MBA from Regis University and his MA in Urban Education Policy from Brown University. He has also sat on a number of different committees and councils, including the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts for The Kennedy Center under President Obama.
Gil Cisneros will face Republican nominee Young Kim in the general election for the district's open seat. Kim is a Korean-American immigrant who has worked in public service for over 25 years. She has worked for U.S. Representative Ed Royce (the exiting Republican Representative of the 39 th district), served as a California Assemblywoman, and sat on multiple boards for local non-profit organizations. She is a NRCC "Young Gun," making her eligible for special funding and help from the GOP. Kim received 21.7% of the votes in the CA primary, compared to Cisneros' 19.1%.
The 39th District is on DCCC's Red to Blue list and is listed as an evenly split toss up on the Cook Political Report. While the district has been mostly represented by Republicans, Democratic Congresswoman Linda Sanchez held the seat from 2003 to 2013 before being redistricted to the 38th district. In California's two-top primary election, 44.1% of the votes went to Democratic candidates (19.1% for Cisneros) while 54.2% went to Republicans (21.7% for Kim).
Gina Ortiz Jones is running to represent the 23 rd District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives.
Jones is running against Republican incumbent Will Hurd in the November 6 general election. Jones is an Iraq veteran with years of experience in national security and defense who has spent her career demonstrating a dedication to civil service. If elected, Jones would be the first openly lesbian woman from Texas serve in Congress. This election in one of Texas' only swing districts is an opportunity to fill a congressional seat with a highly qualified, progressive woman.
Gina Ortiz Jones is a first-generation Filipina-American. Raised by a mother who immigrated to the United States, Jones saw first-hand how immigration makes our country stronger. Jones learned about the importance of access to affordable healthcare when her mother, a single woman who worked multiple jobs to support her daughters, was diagnosed with colon cancer. Healthcare coverage was essential in her mother's survival. Jones was also raised to believe in the importance of education; she earned an Air Force ROTC scholarship to go to college and entered the Air Force when she graduated. She served in Iraq under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Following her active duty service, Jones continued to work in national security, defense and intelligence for many years. She later served as the Senior Advisor for Trade Enforcement, a position created by President Obama in 2012, and then as Director for Investment at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representation. Jones was recognized as a 2016 American Council on Germany Young Leader and is a Council on Foreign Relations Team Member. She is also a member of the Truman National Security Project Defense Council.
Job Titles:
- General Treasurer
- Incumbent Governor
Incumbent Governor Gina Raimondo will be seeking reelection to a second term. As the 75th and current governor of Rhode Island, Raimondo is the first woman to serve as the governor of Rhode Island. Raimondo won the 2014 election with 41% of the vote in a three-way race against two Republican candidates. Raimondo was elected to serve as the Vice Chair of the Democratic Governors Association for the 2018 election cycle. Raimondo is favored to win re-election
Gina Raimondo was elected to serve as General Treasurer of Rhode Island after receiving the largest number of votes of any statewide candidate. Raimondo was only the second woman to hold this position in Rhode Island.
Gretchen Whitmer is a feminist ready to make Michigan a better place for all. She is a lifelong Michigander who knows the state better than any other candidate. Dedicated to putting people before politics, Gretchen has promised to visit all Michigan counties.
Gretchen Whitmer is a born and raised Michigander who earned both her B.A. and law degree from Michigan State University. Following her graduation from law school, Whitmer was elected to the State House of Representatives where she serviced from 2000-2006 and was the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. She was elected to the State Senate in 2006. After a four-year term in the Senate, Whitmer was unanimously elected as the first woman to become the Michigan Senate Democratic leader a position she held until 2015. Following her completed term, Whitmer was unanimously elected by the judges of Michigan's 30th Judicial Circuit Court to serve as interim Ingham County Prosecutor for six months. She currently resides in East Lansing with her husband and five children.
Haley Stevens is a 2018 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the 11th Congressional District of Michigan. Throughout her career she played a key role in setting up two federal offices critical in creating and retaining jobs in Michigan. Haley Stevens is an avid advocate for women, economic justice, and education. Her campaign is strongly founded on advocating for affordable healthcare for all Americans.
Haley Stevens served as chief of staff on the Auto Task Force inside of the U.S. Treasury Department. She has spent most of her career in economic and workforce development, creating jobs and bringing economic opportunity to communities throughout the mid-west. Haley earned a master's degree in social policy and philosophy and a bachelor's degree in political science from American University with honors and distinction.
Job Titles:
- North Dakota State Senator
North Dakota state Senator Heidi Heitkamp is running for re-election in 2018. If elected, it will her 6th year in the Senate.
Senator Heitkamp graduated from the University of North Dakota and attended Lewis and Clark Law School. As an attorney, she worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and the North Dakota State Tax Commissioner. She later went on to become the 20th Tax Commissioner of North Dakota, serving for six years before becoming Attorney General of North Dakota for eight years. As Attorney General, Heitkamp organized a deal between 46 states and the tobacco industry, which made the industry reveal all health-related facts regarding smoking.
In 2012, Heitkamp ran for U.S. Senate and won, becoming North Dakota's woman to do so. She is a champion for Native American rights, a supporter and fighter for small businesses, and a proponent of making housing more affordable. She opposed Trumpcare. She currently serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. In March of 2017, Senator Heitkamp was awarded the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Award for her work fighting for small businesses.
Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room physician, is running for Congress to represent the state of Arizona in the 8 th district. If elected, Tipirneni would become the first woman physician in Congress. In December 2017, Trent Franks (the Republican incumbent) resigned due to a sex scandal. The seat cannot stay open for an extended time so there was a special election scheduled for February 20, 2018. Tipirneni won the primary and became the Democratic nominee for the special election in Arizona's 8 th congressional district. However, she was defeated in the special general election (April 24, 2018) by Republican nominee Debbie Lesko. Now, she is running again in the general election. She and Debbie Lesko both have an opponent in the primary (August 28), but they are generally expected to face each other in the November 6 general election.
Hiral Tipirneni was born in India but moved to the United States with her parents at the age of 3. As an immigrant, her family sought after the American Dream. Tipirneni obtained her medical degree through an accelerated program at Northwest Ohio Medical University. She was Chief Resident at the University of Michigan's Emergency Department. After moving to Phoenix with her husband, she became a member of the Board of Directors of the Maricopa Health Foundation. Given her extensive background in medicine, she hopes to implement a new healthcare plan in which affordable and quality care is more accessible.
Hiral Tipirneni is running against three Democrats in the August 28 primary. Tipirneni received $2,539,453 in contributions for the special election, and she is a strong front-runner. The winner of this primary will face the Republican primary winner in the general election on November 6. Trent Franks, the 8 th district's Republican Incumbent announced he will be resigning. Currently, there are two Republicans running in the primary: Brenden Dilley, who is a strong Trump supporter, and Chris Sylvester, who is still working to get his name on the ballot.
Ilhan Omar is running for an open seat to represent the state of Minnesota in the 5 th Congressional district. She is facing three other candidates in the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018. The current Democratic incumbent, Keith Ellison, is not running for reelection because he has recently decided to run for Minnesota Attorney General. If Omar wins the Democratic primary, she will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November 6 general elections. Currently, there are three Republicans running for this seat. But in this solid Democratic district, winning the Democratic primary is tantamount to winning the seat.
Ilhan Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. Her family fled the civil war in 1991 and relocated to a refugee camp in Kenya. Upon moving to the United States, her family settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she learned English in just three months. She achieved her Bachelor of Arts from North Dakota State University. Omar was a Humphrey Policy Fellow as well as a senior Policy Aide for a Minneapolis City Council Member. She is the Director of Policy and Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network. She ran for office in 2016, when she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B. At this point in 2016, she made history as the first Somali-American Muslim Legislator in the United States.
Elissa Slotkin is challenging the right wing conservative incumbent U.S. Representative Mike Bishop of the 8th District of Michigan. Having dedicated her life to national service, she believes that the central function of elected representatives is to improve the lives of their constituents and aims to offer the citizens of Michigan's 8th district a back-to-basics approach of listening, planning, and executing initiatives in concrete ways.
Senator Dianne Feinstein is the senior Senator from California and is running for re-election in 2018 for her 6 th term.
Senator Feinstein leading recent polls by an average of 18% and is predicted to win her upcoming re-election.
Dianne Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955 with a B.A. in History. In 1970, Feinstein was elected as the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She assumed the role of Mayor in 1978 when Mayor George Moscone was assassinated, and went on to serve another two four-year terms. She was the first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco. In 1992, during a special election, Feinstein was elected to serve as a U.S. Senator for the state of California, once again being the first woman to do so.
In the past 25 years, Senator Feinstein, a strong feminist, has proven herself to be a hardworking and progressive democratic leader who has won the respect of colleagues from both sides of the spectrum. She has authored legislation to prevent sex-trafficking and advance cybersecurity, created the nationwide used AMBER alert system, and has advocated for environmental reform and protection of natural resources. One of her most notable Senate accomplishments was leading the six-year review into the CIA's detention and interrogation program. Her investigation would lead to the passage of legislation banning the use of torture in 2014. In continuing her trend of firsts, Senator Feinstein was the first woman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the first woman to serve as ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is currently the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, senior member on Select Committee on Intelligence, senior member on Committee on Appropriations, and a senior member on the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Elizabeth Warren, who TIME magazine dubbed a "New Sheriff of Wall Street," is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts.
Gretchen Driskell is again challenging right-wing Republican incumbent U.S. Representative Tim Walberg. Driskell is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She first challenged Walberg in 2016. This time Driskell has been selected to be on the coveted Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue List. She also plans to target Walberg's 2017 vote in favor of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. If the repeal effort had succeeded, millions of people would have lost health insurance coverage.