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Emerge Washington seeks Democratic women and non-binary individuals who are committed to effective political leadership, are interested in running for elective office, and who have:
Applicants must identify as women or non-binary and Democrats and reside in Washington.
Emerge Washington will select ~18 participants from across the state who meet the above criteria and who we believe have the potential to be political leaders.
Emerge embraces diversity and encourages applications from all women regardless of age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, marital status, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or physical ability. Our mission to build the bench of Democratic women and non-binary leaders ready to run for office acknowledges both systemic and historic barriers to running for office as well as the barriers women impose on themselves.
To be considered for the Emerge Washington training program, applicants must complete a written application, provide two letters of reference, and submit the $25 application fee. Written applications will be evaluated by a selection committee and qualified applicants will be invited to a virtual interview.
The success of the Emerge Washington program depends upon commitment to the program’s entire schedule by each participant. Over the course of the training, up to 70 program hours are scheduled. Our hybrid program combines several weekends and virtual programming sessions. There is some homework between sessions. While emergencies sometimes arise, attendance at orientation and the first three sessions of training is mandatory and absence will result in a deferral to the following year. Additionally, participants may not miss more than ONE training day to be eligible for graduation.
In the event that unforeseen circumstances arise that prevent in-person gatherings, trainings that are scheduled to occur in-person may be transitioned to online with as much advance notice as possible.
The training will happen from January through April 2026 and will be both in-person and online. There will be two 2-day in-person session weekends and one 3-day in-person session that includes a Monday. TBD location will be determined once the class composition is known. Class members are responsible for their own transportation and any overnight accommodations. We know Washington is a big state so we have later start times on the first day of in-person weekends to allow for some ease of travel.
You are strongly encouraged to check your calendar before applying to ensure you are available for all training dates. Emerge Washington reserves the right to make changes to this schedule due to unforeseen circumstances; we will do our very best to keep to this published schedule.
Applications OPEN October 1, 2025
Applications CLOSE November 12th, 2025
Virtual interviews will be held early December
Accepted participants may only miss ONE training date to be eligible for Graduation from the Program. Tuition does not cover travel or lodging. Plan accordingly.
| Thursday | January* | 15 | Virtual Orientation | 6p – 8p |
| Saturday | January* | 24 | In Person – Seattle | 9a – 4p |
| Sunday | January* | 25 | In Person – Seattle | 9a – 4p |
| Saturday | February* | 7 | Virtual | 9a – 4p |
| Saturday | February | 21 | In Person – Olympia | 10a – 4p |
| Sunday | February | 22 | In Person – Olympia | 9a – 4p |
| Meet the Cohort Event^ | February | 22 | In Person – Olympia | 6:30 – 8:30p |
| Monday | February | 23 | In Person – Olympia | 9a – 3p |
| Thursday | March | 12 | Virtual | 6p – 8p |
| Saturday | March | 28 | Virtual | 9a – 4p |
| Sunday | March | 29 | Virtual | 9a – 4p |
| Thursday | April | 9 | Virtual | 6p – 8p |
| Saturday | April | 25 | In Person – TBD | 10a – 4p |
| Sunday (Graduation) | April | 26 | In Person – TBD | 9am – 3pm |
| Monday-Friday | May | 4–8 | FILING WEEK |
* Mandatory for Graduation.
^ Optional but highly encouraged.
Emerge Washington will review completed written applications and reference letters and select finalists for interviews. Finalists will be invited to attend an virtual interview with two members of the selection committee and the executive director. Interviews will occur virtually in early December 2025. Acceptance notifications will be shared in mid-December 2025.
An application fee of $25 must be submitted along with a completed application. Tuition for the Signature Training Program is $850 – but we encourage all participants to follow our grassroots fundraising program, training, and templates to fundraise that amount instead of paying tuition. Fundraising is hard, particularly for women candidates, and even more so for people of color running for office. Campaign finance and fundraising remains a barrier of entry for many folks running for office, and that’s why we’re tackling it head-on to get on-the-ground practice. Emerge Washington encourages and trains program members on fundraising their tuition and provides tools and support to meet their $850 tuition/fundraising goal throughout our program. A $100 deposit is required prior to the start of the first full weekend of training. Financial needs should not be a barrier to applying to the program. If financial concerns are holding you back from applying please reach out.
We need your participation to start a revolution! We’re looking for women and non-binary leaders who are engaged in their communities and want to affect change. It doesn’t matter if you’re thinking of running for local school board or the U.S. Senate. We can help you get ready to run!
Questions? Email Executive Director Jessica Forsythe at jessica@emergewa.org.