Democratic women in the House are trying to grow their ranks to 100

Grace Panetta

Political reporter

Published

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When Reps. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico and Emilia Sykes of Ohio made their inaugural bids for Congress, early support from Elect Democratic Women (EDW) — a political action committee founded and led by House Democratic women — was critical to their success.

“EDW came in with money. They came in with support. I’ll never forget my first Zoom with the women of Congress. It was dozens of women serving, and honestly, I could cry,” said Stansbury, who was recruited to run in a 2021 special election to succeed then-Rep. Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Department of the Interior. Democrats’ slim House majority made it a high-stakes contest.

“The way that they welcomed me, encouraged