A win for Hillary Clinton in Iowa wouldn’t just be great — it would be unprecedented.

And you better believe it’s more than a symbol.

By Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List

We’re on the brink of an historic first: tonight, for the first time ever, a woman candidate could win at the Iowa caucus.

That wouldn’t just be symbolic (though imagining the faces of little girls across the country is great motivation to get out and knock on doors).

It would be a huge deal for American women.

We’ve seen what happens when we elect women to office. Put simply: They get things done.

It was the women in Congress who led the fight to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. It’s women who have pushed our country to have long-overdue conversations about sexual assault in the military and on college campuses. And Democratic women in the House and Senate are fighting to solve problems that keep families up at night — like equal pay for equal work, paid family and medical leave, access to child care, and college affordability.

And in the era of partisan gridlock, women leaders are some of our best consensus builders. They brokered the deal that ended the government shutdown.

And was anybody surprised when, in the wake of D.C.’s historic blizzard, it was the women lawmakers and staff who showed up to run the chamber? Me neither.

That’s the kind of leadership that Americans are looking for. And in 2012, they made it clear when they sent more women than ever to Congress and in 2014, when voters showed they valued women’s leadership by shattering glass ceilings in state and local races across the country.

Now it’s time to shatter the highest and hardest one of all. And there has never been a more qualified candidate — man or woman — to be president than Hillary Clinton.

Fighting for women and families has been the cause of Hillary’s career — from her very first job out of law school at the Children’s Defense Fund to her work as secretary of state. And if you’ve seen the Democratic debates, you know she’s not stopping now. She has stood up for women and families at every turn throughout this campaign.

And we need her more than ever — because we have far more work to do.

Women working full time today are still earning an average of 79 cents on the dollar — and women of color are earning even less.

Too many women are raising families on a minimum wage income. They can’t make ends meet no matter how many hours they work.

And from attempting to defund Planned Parenthood to threatening to overturn Roe v. Wade, Republicans candidates have made it clear: They’re on a mission to roll back women’s rights. They’re not going to give up, and neither can we.

We need a president who will stand up for women, who will fight for policies that improve the lives of hardworking families, and who has the tenacity to make change happen.

We need Hillary Clinton.

When she is elected president, it will mean more opportunities for women, for girls, and for families across the country. And I have been honored to roll up my sleeves and work alongside the thousands of volunteers in Iowa to make that a reality.

Today, we’re on the verge of making history — and millions of women and men are standing ready for our first “Madam President” (and many more after that.)

So let’s do this!

We need a champion for women and families in the White House. Add your name if you agree.

EMILY’s List is the nation’s largest resource for women in politics. EMILY’s List has raised over $400 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates — making it one of the most successful political organizations ever.