EMILY’s List Airing TV Ads for Tulsi Gabbard

Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann may have snagged an endorsement from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, but EMILY’s List is helping rival Tulsi Gabbard stay visible in the race for Congress. 

In an ad that’s set to run through Aug. 6, Gabbard is lauded for “honesty, self-sacrifice, courage.” An EMILY’s List spokeswoman tells DC808 that its voter mobilization arm spent six figures on the ad buy. EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock issued this statement: 

“Tulsi Gabbard is truly inspiring. She’s dedicated to her country and her community and she isn’t afraid of standing up for what she believes. Our research shows that women voters want leaders like Tulsi right now who understand what they’re going through, and will take their fight to Washington. The EMILY’s List community is thrilled to stand with a dynamic, accomplished leader like Tulsi. We know she’s working hard to make it easier for women and their families – and that’s exactly what we need right now in Congress.”

The group VoteVets.org has also spent money on TV ads for Gabbard in her campaign.

UPDATED: An earlier version of this post characterized EMILY’s list as an “abortion rights group.” Spokeswoman Jess McIntosh says that shorthand doesn’t capture the “pretty major distinction” between EMILY’s list and groups like Planned Parenthood: “We’re a political action committee that elects Democratic women who support abortion rights,” she said. 

— Adrienne LaFrance