WASHINGTON—The nation’s largest political action committee will launch an independent expenditure drive in Iowa on behalf of White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)
Emily’s List has already endorsed Clinton. Emily’s List Women Vote project will start its Iowa operation for Clinton on Nov. 19 with a web-vote education project designed to “demystify” the caucus process said Maren Hesla, the project director.
That effort will be followed by paid advertising that Hesla said will be “substantial and you won’t be able to escape it.”
The aim is to target the women of Iowa—the older voters and younger females who may not have participated in a caucus. Rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is working on 17-year-olds who will be 18 by caucus night on Jan. 3 “We’re not going to cede it to him,” said Hesla.
Glossary
Independent Expenditure
From “political committees affiliated with corporations, labor unions or ideological groups on communications that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and are undertaken independently of a candidate. The money may be spent in unlimited amounts on advertising or mailings to support or oppose a candidate, as long as the spender does not coordinate with the candidate who benefits from the effort. However, only “hard money” may be spent for the independent expenditure. Individuals, political parties and PACs making independent expenditures must disclose the name of the candidates who benefit and must itemize the amounts spent in a report to the Federal Election Commission.” From Center for Responsive Politics.
Lynn Sweet is a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the 
RSS feeds 
Email Lynn
Twitter
Facebook
Get Email Alerts:
I never quite followed the logic of why Emily's List decided to support Clinton before she won the nomination. Maybe they have, but I don't remember them supporting pre-primary candidates before.
Tom J-
EMILYs List frequently gets involved with primaries when there is only one pro-choice woman running. It's a group formed to elect women and in primaries, it supports the female candidate.