Jennifer Moore is Board Chair of Emerge Kentucky, an organization that trains Democratic women to run for political office. Moore is a founding Partner of Grossman & Moore PLLC Injury Lawyers in Louisville. She travels to west Kentucky today to be a part of the KET broadcast of the Fancy Farm Picnic tomorrow and speaks with Kate Lochte on Sounds Good about how Emerge Kentucky trains women and her forecast for Fancy Farm.
Jennifer Moore says the focus of Emerge Kentucky is to recruit and train women to run for political office in Kentucky. The Commonwealth ranks 37 in the country in the number of women in state legislature. Moore believes that women aren't serving in public office to the degree that is representative of democracy.
Emerge training is a six-month intensive, covering about 70 hours of topics ranging from fundraising to public speaking, how to be an ethical leader, endorsements, messaging and other tools to be an effective candidate. Emerge also helps build a network support group for women running for office. Over 100 women have graduated the program - about 20 to 25 per year. This year, they have helped put 25 women on the ballot. In 2012, they helped put 11 women on the ballot and nine won their seats.
How does Emerge Kentucky compare with the Kentucky Federation of Republican Women? Moore says regardless of political affiliation, she believes any organization trying to promote an increase of women in the process is a good thing.
Women from western Kentucky have gone through the Emerge program including some Paducahns: Jeanie Embry of Paducah is on the board; Brandi Harless and Sarah Stewart Holland are graduates. Also, women from Bowling Green, Glasgow and Owensboro are among graduates from across the Commonwealth.
Fancy Farm Forecast:
Moore says she has been attending Fancy Farm since she was a little girl. She believes this one will be just as exciting, maybe moreso since the national spotlight is on the Kentucky U.S. Senate Race. "I'm sure that the enthusiasm will be as high as it usually is. Hopefully not the heckling.
She'll be working with KET at the Fancy Farm Picnic, producing a pre-show and post-show.
