In October 2007, Kathy Dahlkemper, whose only previous political experience involved raising money to build a public arboretum in her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, decided to run for Congress. Over the previous two and a half decades, the 49-year-old had worked as a dietician, helped run the landscape-architecture business her husband inherited from his father, and given birth to five children. Struggling to raise a family in Erie, a city devastated by a decades-long decline in manufacturing jobs, had given Dahlkemper an understanding of what millions of Americans were experiencing as the Great Recession began; her grown children had moved away in search of better opportunities. She knew that the rising cost of health care was hurting businesses like hers. She also believed that the Iraq War, which she had never supported, was causing unnecessary deaths while financially draining the country. Dahlkemper blamed not only George W. Bush but also the 14-year incumbent from her district, Republican Phil English, who had consistently backed the president.

When a friend suggested that she run against English, Dahlkemper laughed. But after considering the idea further, she decided it was her duty to do more than complain. “The more I thought about it,” she says, “I thought, ‘I’m the kind of person our forefathers meant to run for Congress: somebody who’s been out there, has a business, raised five children. I’m involved in my community, and I have a lot of life experience that I could bring.’”

To have any chance of winning, she felt she’d need an endorsement and financial help from a national organization. She would be the first woman to represent Northwestern Pennsylvania, but the political action committee (PAC) that had the most success promoting female representation in Congress, EMILY’s List, was out of the question because it only endorses pro-choice candidates. Dahlkemper is a proud Democrat and holds many liberal positions—she support...