EMILY’s List, an organization supporting pro-choice women Democratic candidates, gave its formal endorsement to Staci Appel and five other Congressional today. Appel is challenging ten-term GOP Representative Tom Latham in Iowa’s third district. The endorsement indicates that she will receive some financial support from the EMILY’s List PAC. Appel had already received access to the nationwide network of EMILY’s List individual supporters.

I would guess that today’s endorsement means that Appel’s early fundraising has gone well. EMILY’s List put six Congressional candidates “on the list” in May and gave the same designation to six more candidates (including Appel) last month. Just six of those twelve “on the list” candidates received the group’s full endorsement today.

After the jump I’ve posted the press release from EMILY’s List and the latest voter registration numbers district-wide and for the sixteen counties in IA-03. On paper, it’s a highly competitive seat. Latham tends to outperform the top of the Republican ticket, though, making this an uphill battle for any challenger.

Active voter registration numbers in IA-03 as of August 2013

All numbers come from this page on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

County	Democrats	Republicans	no-party voters
Adair	1,097	1,970	2,012
Adams	678	938	1,168
Cass	1,637	4,726	3,071
Dallas	10,553	16,428	17,909
Fremont	1,215	2,001	1,663
Guthrie	1,940	2,678	2,778
Madison	2,865	3,870	3,731
Mills	1,899	4,708	3,035
Montgomery	1,035	3,751	2,037
Page	1,594	4,252	3,404
Polk	103,701	81,487	81,832
Pottawattamie	15,884	20,671	18,632
Ringgold	908	1,427	746
Taylor	762	1,898	1,201
Union	1,781	2,790	3,035
Warren	9,826	10,581	10,822
total	157,375	164,176	157,076

August 6 press release from EMILY’s List:

EMILY’s List Endorses Appel, Bilbray, Callis, Graham, Reyes, and Robertson

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced that it is fully recommending six women for the House of Representatives.

Staci Appel (IA-03)

Erin Bilbray (NV-03)

Ann Callis (IL-13)

Gwen Graham (FL-02)

Eloise Reyes (CA-31)

Martha Robertson (NY-23)

“These six rising stars have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their communities as local reformers, state legislators, educators, and attorneys,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “Staci Appel, Erin Bilbray, Ann Callis, Gwen Graham, Eloise Gomez Reyes, and Martha Robertson are experienced public servants and glass ceiling breakers with proven records of fighting for women and families. The EMILY’s List community, now more than two million members strong, is thrilled to help send these fantastic candidates to Washington.”

All six candidates were previously “On the List,” which gave them access to EMILY’s List’s grassroots network of over two million members. Today Appel, Bilbray, Callis, Graham, Reyes, and Robertson move from “On the List” to fully endorsed. Five out of six are running to unseat “On Notice” Republicans, a designation EMILY’s List gives to legislators with appallingly anti-woman, anti-family records who can be defeated by our talented pro-choice democratic woman candidates.

Staci Appel has extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. A former consultant for UBS Paine Webber and Merrill Lynch, she applied her financial expertise during her tenure in the Iowa State Senate to save taxpayers $127 million. She was also a strong voice for women and families, working to protect access to reproductive health care, expand college opportunities, and improve the quality of Iowa’s preschools.

Erin Bilbray has helped elect state and local officials who fight for women and families. She earned praise as the executive director of the Democratic Business Council, where she worked as a liaison between businesses and the Democratic Party.  She currently serves as the Nevada Democratic National Committeewoman to the DNC and sits on the Women’s Council for the United Way.

The first woman elected chief judge of Illinois’ Third Judicial District, Ann Callis was celebrated for creating the first Veteran’s Court in Illinois and fighting for a mediation process that would help those facing foreclosures to stay in their homes. Callis also enacted crucial court reforms, increasing judicial transparency and access while saving taxpayer dollars.

Gwen Graham began her career as an attorney focusing on energy and the environment. After serving as PTA President and chair of the School Advisory Council, she became an in-house attorney for her school district, where she developed a reputation as a problem-solver and consensus builder.

Eloise Reyes has dedicated her legal career to serving the women and families of the Inland Empire, particularly those experiencing financial hardship. She has provided critical support to individuals struggling with Social Security, disability, and employment issues, and is a strong advocate for the small business community.

Before getting involved in local government, Martha Robertson was an educator and small business owner. After being elected to the Tomkins County Legislature in 2001, where she was the first woman to represent her district, Robertson prioritized job creation, access to affordable housing, and the development of public-private partnerships.

EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $350 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making it one of the most successful political action committees in the country. Throughout its 28 year history, the organization has recruited and trained over 8,000 women to run, worked to elect 101 pro-choice Democratic women to the House, 19 to the Senate, 10 governors, and over five hundred women to state and local office. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY’s List helped elect 97% of the Democratic women of color in Congress, including every single Latina, African American, and Asian American Democratic woman currently serving. And during the 2011-2012 cycle, EMILY’s List had the largest number of members and donors in its history and raised a record-breaking $52 million dollars. With the help of this growing community – now more than two million members strong – EMILY’s List helped elect an historic number of candidates in 2012 including 19 new women to the House, six Senate incumbents, three new Senators, and 186 state and local officials.