Hillary Clinton addresses the 30th Anniversary National Conference of EMILY's List Tuesday night in Washington.(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)
WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Democratic activists Tuesday to recommit to electing more women to public office, but avoided the e-mail controversy surrounding her own likely campaign to become the nation's first female president.
In a speech to mark the 30th anniversary of EMILY's List, Clinton sounded economic themes familiar from her recent public appearances — denouncing the gaps in income between the wealthy and working poor and calling for paid sick days and family leave.
"When any parent is shortchanged," she said, "...our economy is shortchanged."
In a nearly 30-minute speech, however, she did not address the flap that erupted over news that she conducted government business on e-mail solely through a personal account during her tenure as secretary of State.
The disclosures have raised questions about whether she may have violated federal rules on the retention of government records and drew rebukes from Republicans. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, a potential presidential candidate, tweeted "Transparency matters" on Monday night in response to the controversy, which was first reported by The New York Times.
Clinton's appearance at the EMILY's List gala brought her to friendly turf on a tough day. The sold-out ballroom of activists and donors cheered wildly whenever her likely candidacy was mentioned in the warm-up speeches.
"In 2008, Hillary Clinton put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling," EMILY's List founder Ellen Malcolm told the crowd, referring to the number of votes Clinton secured in her first bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"In 2016, it's time to shatter that class ceiling and put a woman in the White House," she added to loud applause. "Hillary, you heard us," Malcolm said. "Just give us the word, and we'll be by your side."
Clinton herself made only passing references to a potential candidacy. "Don't you want to see a woman president of the United States?" she asked at one point, drawing the most sustained applause of her speech.
She did not outline specific policy proposals but made broad criticisms of Republicans without singling out anyone by name.
Watching Republicans talk about income inequality, she said, is "like watching the end of Casablanca. 'My goodness. My goodness ... Round up the usual suspects.' "
Clinton said she doesn't want to discourage Republicans' "new-found interest" in the issue, but "we're not buying that old, trickle-down economics that didn't work before and can never work again."
EMILY's List and its three million members, who pool together donations to back favored candidates, will be critical to Clinton's likely presidential bid. Malcolm served as national co-chair of Clinton's 2008 campaign.
In the three decades since its founding, EMILY's List has raised $400 million to advance the political ambitions of Democratic women who support abortion rights. It collected more than $60 million in the 2014 cycle alone.
EMILY's List president Stephanie Schriock recently resigned from a pro-Clinton super PAC, Priorities USA Action — a move that will allow her to work more closely with a potential Clinton campaign. Federal rules bar coordination between super PACs and the politicians they support.
The group, however, will remain deeply engaged in Priorities' activities. Denise Feriozzi, who oversees independent spending at EMILY's List, is taking over Schriock's seat on the super PAC's board.
Clinton's appearance at the gala, where she received the "We Are Emily" award, became a focal point for her supporters and her critics alike. Ready for Hillary, a super PAC seeking to build grassroots momentum for her candidacy, scheduled parties around the country for supporters to view her address online. The gala's program was peppered with ads encouraging her to run and break what Clinton herself has called "the highest, hardest glass ceiling."
In a statement, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Allison Moore said Clinton "will gladly attend fancy galas yet continues to hide from the American people."
Other speakers Tuesday night included California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for her state's open Senate seat; former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who has become one of the nation's biggest gun-control advocates after surviving a gun-shot wound to the head; and Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who announced her retirement this week, ending her tenure as the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
Mikulski promised to continue the fight to install more women in the halls of power, even after she leaves office in two years. "Don't get mad," she urged aspiring female politicians. "Get elected."
Clinton's appearance is the latest in a series of speeches the Democrat will make in the coming weeks focused on women – as she draws closer to a likely presidential bid.
Next week, she is set to release a report marking the anniversary of the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing, where she forcefully denounced abuses against women. On March 23, she will headline an awards ceremony for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, which honors the memory of Robin Toner, The New York Times' first female national political correspondent.
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