Welcome to new Congresswomen committed to change!

WAND PAC is excited to announce that five of our candidates were elected to Congress in November!

Rep. Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) | Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15)
Rep. Betsy Markey (CO-4) | Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1)
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH)

They join five other new WAND/WiLL Congresswomen who were won special elections in the last year:

Rep. Donna Edwards (MD-4) | Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
Rep. Laura Richardson (CA-37) | Rep. Jackie Speier (CA-12)
Rep. Niki Tsongas (MA-5)

This brings the number of WAND/WiLL women in the 111th Congress to 45.

We're especially pleased that TEN women from the ranks of WiLL ran for Congress this year. We've been working for years to establish a pipeline of progressive, pragmatic, skilled women who will run for higher office during their careers. It's a major step toward fundamental and lasting change!

Please join us in celebration by donating to the reception we hold at the start of every new Congress to honor our WAND women. If you donate $50 or more, you will be listed as a sponsor of the reception. If you make your donation before January 1, 2009, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

Security and climate change: We need a new concept of "climate security" rather than military security. WiLL/WAND has a new action guide about Climate Security; we encourage you to take action.

While the federal government fails to take meaningful steps to address climate change, state legislators across the country are passing innovative bills to deal with the issue. We urge state legislators to go even further and encourage their Congressional delegations to address climate change through the lens of the military budget.

The U.S. military contributes to the problem of climate change more than any other single institution worldwide. We spend billions of dollars every year on outmoded weapons systems that do not make us any safer. That money instead could fund programs to promote climate security—an investment that would truly keep us safer.

Use our action guide and contact the WiLL office for steps you can take to protect our climate! We have provided sample letters to the editor and a sample op-ed to help you educate fellow policymakers and the public. Please contact the WiLL office to assist you in media placement.

WiLL President Sen. Nan Grogan Orrock Named "Best Local Politician"!
Nan's a State Senator in Georgia, and a spitfire with a long history in fighting the good fight -- civil rights, women's rights, labor, and more. We congratulate her on being the best of Atlanta 2008!

WiLL and WAND women in the 109th Congress: How they voted. The WiLL/WAND Scorecard

WiLL Trailblazers is a network of former women state legislators who are working together to influence national policy to reduce violence and militarism and promote human and environmental well-being.