Former presidential hopeful Sen. Kristen Gillibrand plans to help the campaigns of other women running for office after recently ending her own White House bid, she said Friday.
Ms. Gillibrand, New York Democrat, said on Twitter that she intends to fundraise for female candidates on the heels of exiting the 2020 presidential race Wednesday.
“I’m proud that we put women front and center in my campaign. And while this chapter is over, there’s still work to be done to bring more women to the decision-making table. That’s why I’m committing to raise and invest at least $1 million to elect women candidates in 2020,” Ms. Gillibrand tweeted.
“Although my campaign for president is over, I’m still as determined as ever to elect women up and down the ballot,” Ms. Gillibrand tweeted. “I’ve said it for months, and I’ll say it again today: Women are on fire in America. We’re speaking up, marching, running for office and winning in historic numbers. And this is just the beginning.”
Ms. Gillibrand had been among a crowded pool of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to compete against President Trump in 2020 before ending her campaign hours before a Wednesday deadline to qualify to compete in upcoming primary debates. Ten other candidates satisfied the requirements set by the Democratic National Committee and have been scheduled to participate in the next two DNC-sanctioned debates.
“Fighting for Women and Families” is the first among several priorities listed on the former candidate’s presidential campaign website.
“[I]n the face of a president who demeans women and threatens their rights, Kirsten’s fearless advocacy for women is the antidote,” reads the website. “Women are half of this country—and they deserve a president who values and fights for them.”
Roughly a quarter of seats in Congress are currently held by women, according to Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics: 25 women serve in the U.S. Senate and 102 women serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, the center says online.
Five women remain in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination, meanwhile: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat; Sen. Kamala Harris, California Democrat; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii Democrat; and author Marianne Williamson.
Only three of the five remaining female candidates have qualified to compete in the next DNC-sanctioned debates, however. Ms. Warren, Ms. Harris and Ms. Klobuchar satisfied the DNC’s criteria, which required candidates to receive contributions from 130,000 unique donors and earn the support of at least 2% of likely voters in four DNC-certified polls.
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