The Power to Choose
Sara M. Evans, Professor, History, University of Minnesota

The 1992 elections represented unprecedented opportunities for the feminist Political Action Committee (PAC), EMILY's List. In the aftermath of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings concerning allegations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, a record number of women candidates ran for political office at every level. Emily's List, which provides money for pro-choice, Democratic women candidates, saw its membership and resources soar. It was on the verge of becoming the most powerful PAC in the Democratic Party. At this very moment of success, Emily's List faced a dilemma. In New York, two heroes of feminist politics, Elizabeth Holtzman and Geraldine Ferraro, announced that they would be candidates in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. This case study provides details of the difficult decision Emily's List had to make. Should it endorse and support one feminist over another one? Would endorsing one feminist over another be a betrayal of feminist ideals? What should the process and criteria for its decision be? This case supports a discussion of the tradeoffs of feminist engagement with mainstream, electoral politics, conflicts within feminism, and how feminist non-profit institutions operate to promote social change.