ERA Coalition Announces Third Slate of Federal Candidates with ERA Certification Stamp of Approval

Washington, DC –– The ERA Coalition announced the third slate of federal candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate who have been awarded the ERA Certification Stamp of Approval. Earlier this year, the ERA Coalition launched Elect Equality, a new campaign to provide voters with the opportunity to learn from candidates across the country about their position on the Equal Rights Amendment.

“Women will have the power to decide this election, and where a candidate stands on equality will be the litmus test this November,” said ERA Coalition and Fund for Women’s Equality President and CEO Zakiya Thomas. “We launched our Elect Equality campaign to ensure that voters can find and support candidates who openly advocate for sex equality at all levels of government, and today we’re proud to award the ERA Certification Stamp of Approval to the first round of federal candidates who agree that it’s vital we enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution.”

“The Supreme Court changed everything with the Dobbs decision, overturning 50 years of precedent and rights for Americans,” said Senator Ben Cardin, lead sponsor of S.J. Res.1. “I thank the ERA Coalition for identifying the urgent need for more senators and members of Congress who will vote to advance the Equal Right Amendment now. Every vote will bring us closer to certification of the 28th Amendment.”

The ERA Coalition awarded the ERA Certification Stamp of Approval to the following federal candidates:

• Pat Chesbro, AK-Senate
• Judson Scanlon, AR-70
• Natalie James, AR-Senate
• Adam Frisch, CO-3
• Darrius Butler, GA-8
• Jen Schultz, MN-8
• Trish Gunby, MO-2
• Cheri Beasley, NC-Senate
• Steve Holden, NY-25
• Ashley Ehasz, PA-1
• Greg Casar, TX-35

“There has not been a time since it was first drafted that the ERA was as critical a protection as it is right now. With the freedoms of women across the country under attack, we must adopt the ERA immediately and fight for equal protection under the law,” said Ashley Ehasz.

"Governments that fail women fail everyone. We are no longer on the menu, we are taking our rightful seats at the table,” said Natalie James."

“As a society it is our responsibility to fight for the rights of all women to have equality and freedom under the constitution. It is a privilege to fight on behalf of equality and what’s right,” said Darrius Butler.

Opponents are stripping away our most basic rights, and that's why it's more important than ever that we pass the Equal Rights Amendment," said Greg Casar. "I will be a fierce advocate for equality at the federal level. The ERA is common-sense, it's popular, and it's past due."

"Until every American is protected equally under the law, our work is not done. Precedent is off the table now, and it's time we fight fire with fire to ensure that generations of progress aren't undone by folks who would see me and others treated as second-class citizens," said Trish Gunby.

As candidates respond to the candidate questionnaire, the ERA Coalition will award additional candidates who have shown their commitment to equality the ERA Certification stamp of approval. Voters will have the opportunity to use the ERA Coalition’s interactive tool to stay informed on a candidate’s ERA Certification stamp of approval status before heading to the ballot box at electequality.org. 

Thomas continued, “It’s become increasingly clear that women are not protected in our Constitution, and the only way we can change that is by ensuring our elected officials and those in positions of power are pro-equality. Only when every person can participate fully and equally in our society, politics, and economy will we achieve full equality. We will do everything in our power to elect candidates who share that vision and will push alongside us until the Constitution guarantees that rights cannot be denied or abridged on account of sex.”

To learn more about the Elect Equality Campaign, visit eracoalition.org/electequality.

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The ERA Coalition was founded in 2014 to bring concerted, organized action to the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA Coalition has a sister organization, the Fund for Women’s Equality, which promotes public education and outreach on the need for constitutional equality. Composed of more than 260 organizations across the country, the Coalition provides education and advocacy on Constitutional Equality. 

While the effort to amend the constitution to include sex equality began nearly a century ago, our renewed efforts are centered on women of color (African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latina, and Native American), gender-nonconforming and transgender women and girls, and nonbinary people – those who are most impacted by systemic inequities.