EMILY’s List Draws Criticism in Two CT Races

EMILY’s List has a simple mission: helping Democratic women who favor abortion rights win elections.

But the powerful PAC is getting some blowback for its support of two Connecticut candidates, U.S. Senate candidate Susan Bysiewicz and Elizabeth Esty, who is running for Congress.

“If we’ve been fighting for equality all these years, why do we need to have a separate women’s group to support a candidate? I either support a candidate or I don’t,” writes Sarah Darer Littman in an opinion piece published last week by CT News Junkie. “I don’t need sorority sisters to guide me. Isn’t that the point of being an intelligent, independent woman?”

Littman writes that she stopped donating to EMILY’s List “because I no longer trust their ability to vet candidates worthy of support. Their endorsement of Bysiewicz made that clear.” (Littman cites Bysiewicz’s attack ad against rival Chris Murphy, an ad Bysiewicz herself acknowledging contains inaccurate information.)

Now comes another criticism from progressive blogger Howie Klein, who rips EMILY’s List for choosing Esty over former House Speaker Chris Donovan in Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.

“EMILY’s List…is telling it’s members in Connecticut to not vote for Donovan because he raised taxes, not mentioning that his tax agenda was to make the rich pay their fair share in order to provide needed services for middle and working class residents. EMILY’s List has badly lost its way,” Klein writes.

EMILY’s List tweeted the following response to Klein: “Sorry we disagree in #CT05. We’re focused on electing pro-choice Democratic women, not calling names.”