By Emma Piller
This week, Emerge Colorado began accepting applications for its highly-anticipated 2022 Signature Training Program to equip Democratic women with the tools they need to run a winning political campaign. This will be the first-ever candidate class run by Emerge Colorado’s newest Executive Director, Lisa Calderón.
Emerge Colorado is the state’s premier candidate training program and the most successful in the state. Each year the organization recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. The flagship program is a six-month fellowship that covers media relations, fundraising, public speaking, endorsements, ethical leadership, and more. Emerge Colorado’s win-rate since its inception in 2013 is 88%. Currently, they have 62 alumnae in elected and appointed positions across Colorado, including 18 at the state capitol.
“We are building the infrastructure for women’s political leadership,” said Lisa Calderón, Executive Director of Emerge Colorado. “For nearly a decade, Emerge Colorado has led the movement to build the bench of Democratic women, but we recognize that it is not enough to just elect more Democratic women. We recognize that women of color, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women, young women, single mothers, and women from other historically underrepresented communities need more attention when running for office in a political arena meant to keep them out. Our 2022 cohort is designed to meet the needs of all of our diverse communities across Colorado, and provide access to the equitable representation they truly deserve.”
In 2020, Colorado voters elected the largest-ever women-majority in the state House. “Although Democratic women have made great strides, women of color and LGBTQ women are still heavily underrepresented,” stated Calderón who intends to increase the diversity of the applicant pool. “We are still a state that has never elected a woman Governor, US Senator, or Mayor in many of our cities and towns. Through Emerge Colorado’s powerful network of over 450 alumnae statewide, we are building the bench to shatter these glass ceilings.”
Applications will be open through Friday, October 1, 2021. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to Emerge Colorado with any questions about the application process.
Link to Emerge Colorado 2022 Signature Class Application: https://co.emergeamerica.org/training/application-process/
Emma Piller is Events and Communications Coordinator, Emerge Colorado.