National organizations set sights on Minnesota’s House and Senate

So far this election cycle, donors have handed over $46 million to a collection of political committees and candidates linked to Emily’s List.

Democrats fighting to retain control of the U.S. Senate know their success could hinge on motivating women supporters to vote in the November election.

In May 2009 Jennifer DeJournett, Lisa Belak and a handful of other Republican women from Minnesota attended a seminar in Washington, D.C. focused on the role of women in politics. What they learned was distressing: Virtually all of the advances made by female politicians over the last two decades had occurred on the Democratic side of the aisle.

Jess McIntosh, who spent three years as a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., has taken a position as deputy communications director with EMILY'S List, a Washington-based group that works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.

Rumors had been swirling on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, but now it's official: the Washington-based PAC EMILY's List, which funds women candidates, has endorsed Sen. Tarryl Clark (DFL-St. Cloud) in the race for the 6th District Congressional seat, currently held by Michele Bachmann (R-MN6).

The national PAC that supports women candidates EMILY's List added its name to Margaret Anderson Kelliher's list of supporters for governor.