[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   STATEMENT IN HONOR OF JUDI KANTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2005

  Ms. LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the women of the 
California Democratic Congressional Delegation, I am proud to pay 
tribute to our friend Judi Kanter on her retirement from EMILY's List. 
It is a pleasure and an honor to recognize Judi Kanter for fifteen 
years of outstanding work with EMILY's List, where she has been a 
leader in changing the face of politics today. She has truly made a 
difference in our lives and in the political life of our nation. Judi's 
work will have a lasting impact on the face of power in California.
  Judi Kanter's tenure with EMILY's List began in the Bay Area and 
Northern California where she concentrated on expanding EMILY's List's 
presence and membership base. Over the years, however, her influence 
and reach grew exponentially. From San Diego to the Central Valley, 
from Los Angeles to Sacramento, Judi has become a key ally of pro-
choice Democratic women.
  The fruits of Judi's hard work are most evident with the development 
of the EMILY's List Majority Council, a powerful network of committed 
and generous activists. Through the Majority Council Judi has devoted 
her immense talents to supporting women candidates, helping them 
organize strong campaigns, and mobilizing women voters to elect 
progressive women.
  The clearest example of Judi's effectiveness is the changing face of 
our Congressional delegation. When Judi began at EMILY's List in 1989 
there were only seventeen women in the U.S. Congress. Today, the 
California Democratic Congressional Delegation alone includes two 
female Senators and eighteen women Members of Congress. There are a 
total of eighty-three women in Congress. And we know that Judi is as 
proud as we are that California's Democratic women in Congress 
represent the richness of California's diversity in background and 
political persuasion.
  Outside the political arena, Judi has been an equally strong advocate 
for women. She serves on the board of the Family Violence Prevention 
Fund and other nonprofit organizations that empower women in our 
society. She has an unmatched talent for getting people involved and 
inspiring them to act.
  Judi Kanter is smart, tough and elegant. She is a model for the women 
she inspires. For fifteen years, she has devoted herself to cultivating 
and investing in the next generation of pro-choice Democratic women 
leaders.
  My colleagues Nancy Pelosi, Lois Capps, Susan Davis, Anna Eshoo, Jane 
Harman, Doris Matsui, Juanita Millender-McDonald, Grace Napolitano, 
Lucille Roybal-Allard, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Hilda Solis, 
Ellen Tauscher, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson and Lynn Woolsey join me in 
thanking Judi for her support, encouragement and friendship over so 
many years. We are proud that she will still serve EMILY's List in an 
advisory capacity, and offer her our best wishes as she begins this new 
chapter in her life.

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