Emerge Colorado is looking to add to its numbers of alumni in the elected office across the state on Nov. 5.
The organization trains women to run and serve as Democrats.
The 18 candidates are vying for city council and school board seats in Aurora, Centennial, Commerce City, Denver, Edgewater, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Pueblo, Telluride, Thornton and Westminster.
“Democratic women have continued building their power in politics, and we are excited to see a new crop of candidates on the ballot who are more determined than ever to change the system,’” said Michal Rosenoer, Emerge Colorado’s executive director and a candidate for the Edgewater City Council in Jefferson County. “They are part of a movement of women of all ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses and from every region of America who are stepping up to the plate to help their families and communities.”
Besides Rosenoer, Emerge alumni on the ballot in the next election are:
This year Emerge graduates who took elected office include Candi CdeBaca and Amanda Sawyer on the Denver City Council, and Julie Pignataro on the Fort Collins City Council.
Emerge Colorado said 44 percent are women of color, 44 percent are mothers and 67 percent are first-time candidates.
Nationally, Emerge’s 45 chapters have produced almost 700 elected officeholders, including more than 50 in Colorado.
“We invest in women at the local level not only because they have the power to create policy changes that matter, but also because we need to fill the political pipeline to state and federal offices,” Rosenoer stated. “If we aren’t investing in women at the beginning of their political careers, we won’t ever have enough women running for higher office. We all win when women have a seat at the table and when our Democracy reflects the diversity of our state and country.”