When Women Win: Emily's List and the Rise of Women in American Politics

by Ellen Malcolm, Craig Unger

The dramatic inside story of the rise of women in elected office over the past quarter-century, from the pioneering founder of three-million-member EMILY's List — one of the most influential players in today’s political landscape 

In 1985, aware of the near-total absence of women in Congress, Ellen R. Malcolm launched EMILY’s List, a powerhouse political organization that seeks to ignite change by getting women elected to office. The rest is riveting history: Between 1986 — when there were only 12 Democratic women in the House and none in the Senate — and now, EMILY’s List has helped elect 19 women Senators, 11 governors, and 110 Democratic women to the House.  

  

Incorporating exclusive interviews with Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Tammy Baldwin, and others, When Women Win delivers stories of some of the toughest political contests of the past three decades, including the historic victory of Barbara Mikulski as the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right; the defeat of Todd Akin (“legitimate rape”) by Claire McCaskill; and Elizabeth Warren’s dramatic win over incumbent Massachusetts senator Scott Brown. 

  

When Women Win includes Malcolm's own story — the high drama of Anita Hill’s sexual harassment testimony against Clarence Thomas and its explosive effects on women’s engagement in electoral politics; the long nights spent watching the polls after months of dogged campaigning; the heartbreaking losses and unprecedented victories — but it’s also a page-turning political saga that may well lead up to the election of the first woman president of the United States. 

 

  

 

 

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Feminism, History, Sociology, Womens, Memoir

425 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

Ellen Malcolm is the founder and chair of EMILY’s List, one of America’s largest and most impactful political action committees. Dedicated to helping women candidates win election to every level of political office, its 3 million members have helped elect 10 pro-choice female Democratic U.S. senators, 110 U.S. representatives, and 11 governors. Malcolm was also president of the voter-registration advocacy group ACT, co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 election campaign, and a member of the National Park Foundation Board of Directors.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

20 percent of Congress is women. Unbelievable. What a different world it might be if it was 50 percent.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I noticed how EMILY's list and the author hailed Anita Hill as a hero and excoriated the Republicans who dismissed her sexual harassment claims against Clarence Thomas, then went on to downplay and sugarcoat the sexual harassment (and flat out sexual assault) Bill Clinton was accused of by multiple women. This type of hypocrisy shows the flaws in the mainstream feminist, pro-abortion movement.

[gaudeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story of the origin and rise of the single most influential force that has put women in Congress, written by one of its founders and its first leader. Written in a "you are there" style, it is exciting even when we know the outcome of so many of the races described. It's sure to generate even more members for EMILY's List, and rightly should! Highly recommended reading.

[Ms.Caprioli · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction moved me to tears. Not because it was particularly well written or because it revealed a heart-breaking event, but because it was written with the hope and near certainty many of us had that we'd have a woman serving as President by the time it went into bookstores.

The book itself has no surprises for those who have been following women in politics for the last 20 years. It does have lots of information about what to do to support women who are running for office. It also shows how to "follow the money" by getting money early.

What is most disappointing about the book is its self-serving nature. Malcolm calls Biden's actions during the Thomas-Hill hearings "not his finest moment." Indeed! Also, perhaps cynically, I saw the turn-around EMILY's List made with Carol Mosley Brown as an attempt to conceal its initial lukewarm support for women of color. I felt that the latter comparison of Ms. Mosley Brown to the Tea Party supports my assumption. I hope I'm wrong, but I've learned to notice certain attitudes hidden in pretty words over the years.

Perhaps I'm nitpicking. And yet, when a champion of women in politics makes the decision to refer to a female senator by her given name (Patty, referring to Sen. Murray) and to a male senator by his last name (Ryan, as in Sen. Paul Ryan) in the same sentence, ("Patty and Paul focused on common ground") my heart sinks. We have a long way to go.

Then again, thanks to Malcolm and her organization, we've come a long way. There were less than 5% of members of Congress, of either party, who were women the year I was born. Women now make 20% of Congress. I hope we can get to 50% in my lifetime. And I certainly hope there can be a reprint of this book when we elect the first female President of the United States. Let's hope I don't have to wait another 40 years for that.

[Rama Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

How a women’s group like EMILY’s List has changed the way America works

This is an inside story from one of the principal founders of EMILY’s List, Ellen R. Malcolm that chronicles the beginnings and the raise of a powerful women’s organization. Formed in 1985 as a political action committee (PAC) to provide “pro-choice” female Democratic candidates with "seed" money to run for state and federal offices, EMILY's List has become more than a women's PAC. Over the past 30 years, Ellen Malcolm and a cadre of liberal feminist activists have transformed this movement into a political powerhouse. EMILY's List stands for "Early Money Is like Yeast" (raises dough). It is a political cliché based on a simple marketing strategy that receiving donations early in the race leads to more donors later. This group sends contributions to the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women running in targeted races around the country. The 1985 meeting in the home of Ellen Malcolm included very powerful democratic women like Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala.

The book is essentially a historical document that describes the growth of EMILY’s List as a political organization that defends the reproductive rights of women. The book includes several interviews with leading women of the Democratic Party but does not detail its “candidate selection process” or the way its endorsement process works.

In a demonstration of its political muscle, Emily’s group backed Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski of Maryland in her bid to win the senate race in 1986. Barbara Mikulski became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate from MD, and currently she is a senior senator and a ranking minority member. In 2012, 80% of the candidates endorsed by EMILY's List in the general election were victorious including senators; Claire McCaskill (MO), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Maggie Hassan in the NH Gubernatorial race. EMILY's List has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as it did in the 2008 bid.

In 2010, Professor Jamie Pamelia Pimlott of Niagara University published her work chronicling the founding of Emily’s list under the title, “Women and the Democratic Party: The Evolution of EMILY's List. The current book by the groups’ founder Ellen Malcolm makes another interesting reading. I recommend this to anyone interested in Emily’s List or women’s movement in American politics. “When women win” is an insightful look at how women are transforming government, politics, and the workforce, and how they are using that power shift to effect change in American lives.

[Rashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't a better time than now (the 2016 election) to read When Women Win by Ellen R. Malcolm, the founder of Emily's List. Emily's List has done a fantastic job since they came into being in 1985. They have helped elect 110 women in the House and 19 to the Senate and more than 700 women to state and local offices. They helped elect the first Democratic woman to the Senate, Barbara Mikulski. They have elected the first openly gay U.S. Senator and first women to represent Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin; the first woman senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren; first Asian American woman to serve in the Senate, Hawaii's Mazie Hirono. More than a third of the women Emily's list have elected, are women of color. They help elect pro-choice democratic women. Love it. Reading the book you will find so many names in the Senate and the U.S. congress that will be familiar and how much women have achieved. To quote Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) during the thirtieth anniversary gala of Emily's List in 2015 - "In the past seven years, the average woman senator introduced ninety seven bills, the average man seventy. The average woman senator had more that nine co-sponsors for her legislation: the average man had fewer than six. Even though there were twenty women in the Senate, when the Democrats were in control, nine out of the twenty committees in the Senate were chaired by women." The list of accomplishments goes on.........

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cathartic read in light of the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The books starts in the 1980s with the birth of EMILY's List and the circumstances that gave rise to it, and ended with Obama in office and women like Elizabeth Warren being elected to Congress. I would love to read an updated version with EMILY's List's fight during the 2016 election and their reaction to Hillary Clinton's loss. The book was incredibly informative: as a child of the 90's, I never knew that Republicans used to be more centrist, and it used to be okay for a Republican candidate to be pro-choice. I could have easily looked up the outcome of the races discussed in the book, but I enjoyed rooting for the candidates along with Ellen Malcolm and EMILY's List, and celebrating when they won. Definitely a good book for anyone interested in seeing more women in politics, or learning about how they got there in the first place.

[Allison Berkowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this the morning after RBG died. With so much fear over the future of the Supreme Court it felt so good to be reminded of all the progress we have made for women over the years. I personally have a few issues with the modern functions of EMILY's list, but learning about how instrumental they were in quite a few important races and getting more women in office over the years was great. it was also really interesting learning about the paths of some of the female politicians a really adore such as Barbara Mikulski, Mazie Hirono, and Elizabeth Warren.

[Gina Christo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often we forget that adding women into the political sphere took more than just time and evolving opinions; it took hard, disciplined work from women within the democratic party. When Women Win chronicles that story in a way everyone can appreciate. In a time when it feels like the world is ending, this book reminds us that with hard word and determination, women can and will be the change.

[Patricia Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book written by the founder of EMILY'S LIST. If you are interested in the history of women in American politics, it's a must read.

[Isabella Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s incredibly sad to read this book in 2024, to know that it was published with the full expectation that many of us had in 2016 that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman elected President of the United States. To read Ellen’s recollections of how EMILY’s List began and evolved over time, to read over the celebrated achievements and crushing defeats of the early-2000s, and know what is to come in the eight years after the book was published fills me with a soul-crushing sadness that cannot be appropriately put into words.

I want desperately to know what Ellen’s thoughts are on the issues now that Roe vs. Wade has been revoked, and the loss of those rights celebrated by one of the SCOTUS injustices who initially motivated a massive number of women to be elected to high offices. In the 90’s, when Thomas’s unacceptable behavior was somehow not being enough to disqualify him from sitting on the highest court in the USA, his unjust placement on that bench was protested by millions of women at the ballot box shortly thereafter. How have we, as a nation, learned so little? Thomas wasn’t enough, Kavanaugh’s trial of the same variety wasn’t enough, and resulted in the same level of heinous public dissection of his most prominent victim as well.

I can only hope that we see a newer edition of this book published, perhaps in 2025, if the election goes correctly, I want to hear Ellen’s perspective on all of this. It struck me as prescient that on page XVII, while listing the prominent women EMILY’s List has assisted into office, the last woman mentioned by name is “[then-] California attorney general Kamala Harris - [. . .] might well end up on a Democratic presidential ticket someday.”

I hope that this time we, as a nation, are successful in preventing the far-right fundamentalists from inflicting any further injury on democracy, or the women and other marginalized groups living within it.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, first thing's first: this is a very specific history. When Women Win is a history of women in politics, but it is specifically a history of democratic, prochoice women in politics that have been assisted by EMILY's List, and it reads more like a biography of the organization rather than a history of women in politics, at that. I didn't necessarily mind that - I've heard a lot about EMILY's List since the 2016 election and wasn't opposed to learning more about it - but it does make the title somewhat misleading, as that was not what I was expecting when I purchased the book. That being said, When Women Win is well written, explains the background and politics of various periods of modern politics, chronicles the reasons behind the gender representation gap between the two major parties, and is careful to explain why electing women - and women in particular, when all things are equal (which they usually are) - has proven to be helpful in improving bipartisanship, supporting the middle class and families, supporting women as a class of citizens, and generally improving the general life circumstances for all.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fascinating to read about the stories of democratic women in congress over the past 30ish years. I was nervous it would end all yay HRC and be sad to read now since it was published in October but it didn't discuss it much, so that was good. It did have a white feminist sort of feel though, even when talking about working with women of color but it still was just missing something there. Which I guess makes sense for an org like EMILY's list but I don't love that.

[Cameron Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details the rise of EMILYs List and the incredible work the organization has done to change the face of Congress and elect women across the country. Getting the inside history from Ellen Malcolm, the founder, was a treat. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the last 40 years of American politics. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come since EL was founded but sobering to realize how far we still have to go.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that outlines the creation and work of EMILY's List since its inception in 1985. It was refreshing to read much of women's history in politics all in one place and from the perspective of pro-choice, Democratic women.

[Toby Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoping for a bit more as it got repetitive after a while. The book tended to focus more on the races rather than individual women. It gave accessible insight into the political process and I’m hoping there would be an update for it.

[Saghi Hosseini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Malcom gives a great account of women in politics and the creation of Emily's List. My hero.

[Steven Yenzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good account of the inception and record of EMILY’s List, marred by uneven and even occasionally confusing writing.

[Rama Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

How a women’s group like EMILY’s List has changed the way America works

This is an inside story from one of the principal founders of EMILY’s List, Ellen R. Malcolm that chronicles the beginnings and the raise of a powerful women’s organization. Formed in 1985 as a political action committee (PAC) to provide “pro-choice” female Democratic candidates with "seed" money to run for state and federal offices, EMILY's List has become more than a women's PAC. Over the past 30 years, Ellen Malcolm and a cadre of liberal feminist activists have transformed this movement into a political powerhouse. EMILY's List stands for "Early Money Is like Yeast" (raises dough). It is a political cliché based on a simple marketing strategy that receiving donations early in the race leads to more donors later. This group sends contributions to the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women running in targeted races around the country. The 1985 meeting in the home of Ellen Malcolm included very powerful democratic women like Barbara Boxer, Ann Richards, Anne Wexler, and Donna Shalala.

The book is essentially a historical document that describes the growth of EMILY’s List as a political organization that defends the reproductive rights of women. The book includes several interviews with leading women of the Democratic Party but does not detail its “candidate selection process” or the way its endorsement process works.

In a demonstration of its political muscle, Emily’s group backed Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski of Maryland in her bid to win the senate race in 1986. Barbara Mikulski became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate from MD, and currently she is a senior senator and a ranking minority member. In 2012, 80% of the candidates endorsed by EMILY's List in the general election were victorious including senators; Claire McCaskill (MO), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Maggie Hassan in the NH Gubernatorial race. EMILY's List has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as it did in the 2008 bid.

In 2010, Professor Jamie Pamelia Pimlott of Niagara University published her work chronicling the founding of Emily’s list under the title, “Women and the Democratic Party: The Evolution of EMILY's List. The current book by the groups’ founder Ellen Malcolm makes another interesting reading. I recommend this to anyone interested in Emily’s List or women’s movement in American politics. “When women win” is an insightful look at how women are transforming government, politics, and the workforce, and how they are using that power shift to effect change in American lives.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellen R. Malcolm founded EMILY's List (Early Money is Like Yeast) in 1985 to help elect Democratic pro-choice women to Congress. They put together a fundraising organization to give female candidates the crucial early money to help them win primaries. Between 1986 — when there were only 12 Democratic women in the House and none in the Senate — and now, EMILY’s List has helped elect 19 women Senators, 11 governors, and 110 Democratic women to the House.

Why I started this book: With a picture of Hillary Clinton on the cover of the audio, I figured that I should listen to this book before the election.

Why I finished it: So I'm not sure if it was my copy of the audio or the book that was repetitive at the beginning of the book. I almost gave up, but I am so glad that I didn't because this was a powerful story that needs to be told. I had no idea the fight that it was to get women into Congress, and how that fight was in my lifetime and not my mother's.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book reminded me of how far women have come in politics and the obstacles in the way of progress. I did not really understand how instrumental EMILY's List has been in bringing about stronger representation of women in American politics. A great book for anyone interested in politics and women's participation in the political process.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is definitely a liberal bias to this book but that's to be expected, being that it centers around the growing role of women in American politics. Highly recommend to anyone who thinks that equal representation is important, but also those who take women and people of color being represented in the government for granted.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book to read because of my Read Harder Challenge. This book satisfied 2 requirements in that challenge because it is a book about feminist issues and it is a book about politics. This book was exciting to me to read because it contained a lot of recent history that I lived through.

[etherealfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library Hardcover

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative but the writing was pedestrian.

[Charla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone of voting age. Especially women.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. An informative detailed history of women in american politics. I learned a lot.

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never was deep into politics till last election. There were many reasons. I wish I read this book back than.
This is a gem, that should be mandatory read in schools. I think people are still ignorant to the fact, that women can be wonderful politicians. I didn't really realized that it is recently that we can see women in the congress. The number is still too low, but it is definitely better than 30 years ago.
The reason we see change is thanks to Emily's List. It is political organization founded by Ellen Malcolm- the author of this book.
I personally learnt a lot from this read. I even learn about Barbara Mikulski, who is daughter of Polish emigrants. ( I am Polish, so it was great to read about women, who achieved so much).
This is empowering book. Important and educational.
"(...)women have power, they can make things happen, and when our passions are harnessed, we can change the world."

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was clearly timed for release with the reasonable expectation that we would now have a woman as president. However, the history of the organization, its accomplishments and goals gave me that much more motivation to keep working to bring more women into politics.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very motivating to anyone who wants to see more candidates and lawmakers in public life.