For Her, the Bucks Start on Emily’s List

Men--certainly men running for office--have always had a network to help them out. Be it old boys, or new boys, friends know friends who know friends who write checks.

Playing catch-up, Emily’s List was created in 1985 to provide money early in their campaigns for Democratic women candidates, women selected on the basis of their stands (pro ERA and pro choice) and then singled out on the basis of their viability as candidates. Emily stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast”--following the concept that money given early generates other money.

This year is Emily’s second election cycle--and a Californian (albeit Northern) has been selected as one of the six women running for the House of Representatives who have been suggested to the 1,800 members of Emily’s List as worthy beneficiaries of their checks.

‘Significant Dollars’

“These are significant dollars,” according to the designee, San Mateo County Supervisor Anna Eshoo, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the hope of challenging Republican Rep. Ernest Konnyu in the 12th district. Eshoo pointed out that two Senate candidates were selected in 1986--the victorious Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who received $150,000 from Emily members, and Missouri’s Lt. Gov. Harriett Woods, who picked up more than $200,000 toward her unsuccessful U.S. Senate race.

Each name on Emily’s List represents a $100 membership fee to Emily and a commitment to write $100 checks to several Democratic women candidates.

For Eshoo, being backed by such a sophisticated and successful money-raising operation is a boost. “It’s very exciting. And it’s important,” she said, pointing out that to be competitive she’ll need to raise around $800,000, most of it earmarked for the general election. Since Emily approaches its members to make the checks out directly to a campaign, it works differently and, as Eshoo said, “in some ways, far more effectively” than political action committees.

Ellen Malcolm, the political veteran who helped found Emily’s List and who serves as its president, said that the group will probably name up to 10 designees for this election. And how much money will be raised? “It’s hard to tell, because we have never done House races before, but I am ‘guestimating’ that we will raise a half million.”

Malcolm said Emily’s List evolved after a group of Washington women activists ran into trouble raising money for Woods’ first Senate race in 1982. In that year, they managed to raise a total of only $50,000. Now, she pointed out, with the release last week of the names of the first six Emily’s List designees for this election, in only three days checks came in totaling more than $50,000.

“This is the emergence of women as financial players in politics,” Malcolm said. “Emily’s List and the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee and the Women’s Campaign Fund all show that we are becoming significant financial power brokers in ways that we were not before.

“We have the economic means . . . and, psychologically, we have a lot more control over our pocketbooks,” Malcolm said.

Eshoo was very clear that women, who did not traditionally give money or run for office, had found in the Emily’s List network what men who support candidates had all along. “There’s no title to it with men, but it’s there. Now women are understanding that they have to become competitive in terms of dollars in order to be elected.”

BUT, OFFICER--Maybe this is how legends are made--but a lot of people apparently believe that a license plate holder carrying the slogan “KMA 357” is a secret password, identifying the driver as a police officer or a friend of a police officer. Now there has been sighted an even more specific license plate holder. Pointing out that “Rampart is Number One” (Rampart being the name of an L.A.P.D. division), the license plate holder also has the ubiquitous “KMA 357.” And, hey, if that’s not what it means, we’d love to find out.

EXCLUSIVELY INCLUSIVE--If you are in the movie biz and you’ve been planning a party for May 6, better cancel it. There’ll be no one left to invite.

The American Cinematheque Moving Picture Ball is set for that night, and it’s got a benefit committee from A (as in Herb Alpert) to Z (as in Walter Zifkin).

The American Cinematheque (which is now self-identified as “a nonprofit, viewer-supported international arts organization dedicated to the public presentation of the moving picture in all its forms”) is honoring Robin Williams.

Among others involved in the evening at the Century Plaza are benefit co-chairs including Cineplex Odeon’s Garth Drabinksy, HBO’s Michael Fuchs, A&M; Records’ Jerry Moss, Creative Artists Agency’s Michael Ovitz, producer/director George Schlatter and Melvin Simon, chairman of Melvin Simon & Associates.

MOUTH CANDY--A reliable source noted that in the ladies’ room of the fashionable Trumps restaurant last week, two hip young women shared treats that one had pulled from her purse. No, no--perfectly legit, if embarrassing. The two were sharing the goodies from a one-pound bag of M & M’s. Plain M & M’s.