PORTLAND — Five local women have been selected to participate in a six-month training held by Emerge Maine, an organization that encourages Democratic women to seek public office.

According to a news release, this is Emerge Maine’s seventh class and includes Vanessa Bell and Nicolle Carbone of Topsham; Kristina Egan and Melanie Sachs of Freeport; and Diane Gilman of Woolwich.

They will be joined by 13 women from across Maine, representing a range of professional backgrounds from farming to nursing to teaching to consulting.

The women will spend six months and more than 70 hours of classroom time learning the ins and outs of running a campaign. They will work with political experts and meet with many of the state’s top political leaders in order to learn what it takes to run a winning campaign.

According to a spokesperson for the organization, “The goal of this training program is to bring together Democratic women from across the state with an interest in politics to create a supportive and educational environment where they can learn the ethical and practical ways to win a race — whether it be on the local or state level.”

For more information, visit www.emergemaine.org.