(Washington, DC) Nov 03, 2004 WUFPAC Spokeswoman Jamie Barys announced today that WUFPAC, a nonpartisan political action committee dedicated to electing women under the age of 40 to Congress, had resounding success this cycle by electing four young women to Congress. Among the four are two new representatives, Cathy McMorris (R-WA) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D- FL), who handily defeated their opponents. Incumbents Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) won re-election by comfortable margins.

WUFPAC President, Susannah Shakow, made the following statement: "The election of these four young women last night helps to change the face of Congress. Electing younger women helps women everywhere by ensuring that young women's views are represented in Congress, and by allowing women legislators to build up their political resumes to pave the path to leadership."

WUFPAC Political Director Barbara Palmer said "These four newly elected women serve as powerful role models to show young women that politics is within their reach. Young women need to know that they can run for office and hold leadership positions."

Representative Stephanie Herseth, 33, became South Dakota's representative in June during a special election. As the incumbent she defeated her challenger with 53% of the vote. When asked why they voted for Herseth, South Dakotans said they felt they needed more women in Congress.

Cathy McMorris, 33, ran for an open seat in Washington vacated by Representative George Nethercutt (R). Before running for Congress, McMorris was in the Washington State House of Representatives for 10 years, and served as House Minority Leader. She won her race with 60% of the vote.

Representative Linda Sanchez, 33, is now serving her second term in Congress. Sanchez and her sister, Loretta Sanchez (D-47) made history when she was elected in 2002, becoming the first sisters to serve in Congress together. Sanchez easily defeated her challenger with 61% of the vote.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 37, ran for an open seat in Florida vacated by Peter Deutsch (D). Wasserman Schultz also served in the Florida State House of Representatives for 8 years, and held the positions of Democratic Pro Tempore Leader, Democratic Floor Leader and Chair of the Committee on Higher Education. She defeated her opponent with 70% of the vote.

WUFPAC President Shakow pointed out that "all of our WUFPAC candidates this year ran strong races - and we hope that those candidates who did not succeed will use their experience running for office to inspire other young women to become more involved in politics, and we hope that they will continue their quest for political office."

If you would like more information about WUFPAC, please contact Jamie Barys or Barbara Palmer at info@wufpac.org.