Retiring Democratic senator Barbara Mikulski spoke Tuesday evening at an event sponsored by EMILY's List, an organization dedicated to electing Democratic female candidates who oppose restrictions on abortion, about how much the group meant to her.
"It was the EMILY's List that created this whole new social framework on how women could send money to other Democratic women who were pro-choice, who were for the E.R.A.," Mikulski said. "Those checks came, and it was so helpful, I remember what they meant for me when everybody said I couldn't do it."
"The great day would come everyday when those little bundles of EMILYs would arrive, those little bundles of joy," Mikulski recalled of her first campaign. "And what meant so much to me was what often was in those messages. Now in my early days, they came by snail mail, now they come from from email. But you can feel the sentiment, the notes, the vibes behind it."
EMILY's List is well known for taking a hardline position on abortion. The group supports a right to abortion throughout pregnancy, at taxpayer expense if necessary. EMILY's List purged pro-choice senator Blanche Lincoln after the Arkansas Democrat voted for the partial-birth abortion ban.
Tuesday's gala in Washington, D.C. was held to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of EMILY's List's founding. Hillary Clinton was in attendance to accept the organization's " We Are EMILY Award."