The national political action committee EMILY’s List threw its support behind three candidates running to be mayor of Colorado cities on Wednesday. 

Arvada mayoral candidate Lauren Simpson, Lakewood mayoral candidate Wendi Strom, and Thornton mayoral candidate Julia Marvin are all being endorsed by the organization, which backs the candidacies of Democratic women who support abortion rights. 

The three Colorado candidates join 16 others endorsed by EMILY’s List as part of the organization’s “Madam Mayor” program, launched this summer to highlight women running for local offices. 

“We have repeatedly experienced how powerfully Democratic pro-choice women serving as mayors can affect the lives of the residents of their cities for the better,” said Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List. “Whether as city council members or professionals in the private sector, each of these women have spent their careers giving back to their communities and delivering results.”

Simpson was elected to the Arvada City Council in 2019. She’s focused on policies to improve city infrastructure, support renters, and promote the arts and humanities. She is facing fellow Arvada City Council member John Marriott in the November election, a local business owner and councilman of 10 years.

Strom has served on the Lakewood City Council for two years and is the mayor pro tem. She is an education advocate and certified financial planner. Strom is running against two other candidates for the open mayor’s seat, Catherine Kentner and Don Burkhart. The current mayor is term-limited. 

Marvin works in communications and marketing, and has been a member of the Thornton City Council since 2019. She said she wants to increase accessibility and transparency in government. Marvin is challenging Thornton’s current mayor, Jan Kulmann, who unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary to represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District in 2022.