As President Obama took oath for his second term in the United States today, a separate celebration for the women of the US Congress was held in Washington at the Emily’s List Inauguration brunch.
The brunch served as a toast to the largest ever group of women elected as US lawmakers, and a demand to have a female democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential elections.
Emily’s List, an advocacy group that works to support pro-choice Democratic female candidates, raised $52 million in 2012 to help fund the campaigns of a record number of women in the US congress – with 78 in the House and 20 in the Senate.
But as Senator Claire McCaskill observed: “20 women in the senate is great. You know what would be better? 50.”
Tammy Baldwin, who made history as the first openly gay member of the Senate, recalled the support she received from Emily’s List during her campaign for election in 2012.
“I ran to make a difference and I intend to make a difference. Just like nobody runs and wins a Senate race alone, nobody moves a country forward alone” she said.
During the brunch, the group called on the Democrats to nominate a woman for the 2016 presidency.
“We are ready to put a Democratic woman in the Oval Office, and that starts with putting a woman on the Democratic ticket in 2016,” said Emily’s List President Stephanie Schriock.
Her calls were echoed by House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi: “We have 2014 coming up next and we hope to elect many more women to the Congress”.
Kentucky’s Senate Democratic candidate hopeful Ashley Judd tweeted during the event: “This very room is what making history looks like.”