Elect Women NJ co-hosted a virtual event with the Electing Women Alliance last night featuring Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Senator Kirstin Gillebrand and Senator Amy Klobuchar.  The event drew women donors from around the country and raised close to 1.2 million dollars for the Biden/Harris campaign.

Senator Harris, in speaking about the importance of an alliance whose mission it is to Elect Women shared this,“We take pride and celebrate being the first, but it would be nice if we weren’t doing firsts anymore.  If we were normalizing all of this [women gathered to support women] – and we will.  I was raised by an incredible mother, one of the things she would say to me over and over again, Kamala you may be the first to do many things, make sure you are not the last.”  She stressed the importance of serving as mentors and breaking barriers to move toward gender parity.

Senator Gillebrand, who created “Off The Sidelines” to help fund women running for office discussed the importance of organizations like Elect Women NJ forming what she calls “giving circles” that work together to support and elect more women. Senator Klobuchar stressed that women are “on the ballot, all the women running for president have made a difference.”

The Center for Responsive Politics has reported that the share of women giving money to political campaigns increased to 43.5% this election cycle from 38%.  Elect Women NJ’s founder and chair, Kerri Kennedy said, “she was very encouraged by the success of the event and the general increase in women political donors. In order for us to see more equality in politics, women need to be active and leading in all spheres from funding campaigns to running for office.”

Tricia Maguire, Elect Women NJ’s Executive Director, said “It was an honor for Elect Women NJ to have been invited to co-host this event with a phenomenal group of women across the country who are dedicated to supporting and funding women at all levels and stages of their political careers.  Listening to a woman Vice Presidential Candidate and women Senators speak about what it meant to have other women believe in and lift them up, especially early in their careers, underscores that Elect Women NJ’s mission to fund and support viable women running for local offices here in NJ is on point.”