Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC Announces Endorsements for Rhode Island General Officer Candidates

Candidates have pledged to fight for reproductive freedom while states across the country roll back reproductive rights and ban abortion

(Providence, RI) — This morning, Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC (PPV!RI PAC) announced the endorsed candidates running for statewide General Officers in the 2022 election:

• Governor: Dan McKee  
• Lieutenant Governor: Sabina Matos  
• Secretary of State: Gregg Amore  
• Attorney General: Peter Neronha 
• General Treasurer: James Diossa 

This is a historic moment — for the first time, PPV!RI PAC has made endorsements in the races for all five General Officers in an election. These candidates have pledged to protect reproductive rights and work to eliminate barriers to abortion access and sexual and reproductive health care for all Rhode Islanders. 

See the full list of PPV!RI PAC endorsements for the 2022 election. 

“Voters want access to safe, legal abortion, and they deserve leaders who will fight for all of us.  We’ve seen how far our opponents are willing to go, but we have the power to stop them— together,” stated Amanda Skinner, President of Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island and a member of PPV!RI PAC. “We have zero time for half measures or compromises when it comes to our bodies.  That is why we must stay focused on getting these candidates elected to continue making progress in Rhode Island.  Planned Parenthood patients are counting on us.”

Everything is on the line this election, and voters are ready to take control. This is an urgent moment — the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has opened the floodgates for state politicians across the country to ban abortion, decimate health care access, and threaten anti-discrimination protections, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. With fundamental rights under constant attack, Rhode Island needs leaders who will fight back and defend reproductive freedom. 

Governor Dan McKee said, “Abortion rights are a defining issue for voters in this election and it is more important than ever to make sure we have strong leadership on the state level that will fight to protect those rights. I committed to strengthening reproductive freedoms here in Rhode Island—I have worked to deliver on that promise, but we have more work to do. I thank Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC for their endorsement and look forward to working together to protect the right to choose."  

“Our reproductive freedom is on the ballot in November! The Republicans want to roll back the progress that we have made in Rhode Island and across the country. The Democrats running for statewide office and for Congress are united in our commitment to protecting and expanding access to reproductive health care. I am proud to stand with Planned Parenthood and receive their endorsement,” said Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. 

“At present, the reproductive freedom of millions of women in America is under attack by those who seek to restrict and outright ban critical health care, including the right to seek an abortion,” said Attorney General Peter Neronha. “This isn’t a hypothetical problem for others to deal with somewhere, somehow, at sometime. Rhode Islanders need champions for reproductive freedom, not people who tell us ‘there's nothing to worry about in Rhode Island.’ We heard such assurances from some quarters in Rhode Island before the Supreme Court at the stroke of a pen threw out fifty years of precedent and a woman's right to choose, and we're hearing them again now."

Neronha continued, “But just this year, my Office successfully defended the Reproductive Privacy Act from a legal challenge seeking to overturn the law. Had that challenge succeeded, Rhode Islanders’ access to reproductive health care would look drastically different than it does today. I am proud to defend reproductive health care in Rhode Island, and I am proud to receive the endorsement of an organization that has been the leading advocate to ensure those rights here and across our country." 

Gregg Amore, candidate for Secretary of State said, “We have made major strides here in Rhode Island. I am proud to have co-sponsored legislation to codify Roe v. Wade in each of the sessions leading to the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019 – and am proud to have supported the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA) the last three sessions and – even though I will not be able to vote on it as a member of the House, I look forward to its passage. I thank Planned Parenthood for this endorsement and am proud to stand with them!” 

“I am honored and grateful to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC,” stated James Diossa, candidate for General Treasurer. “With reproductive rights under attack across the country, we must continue to enact and uphold laws to guarantee that women’s rights and autonomy are fully protected. As General Treasurer, I will continue to be an outspoken advocate, fighting alongside Planned Parenthood to preserve the rights of women across Rhode Island and our country.” 

Reproductive health and rights are critical issues for voters. According to recent polling released by the Providence Journal, two-thirds of Rhode Island voters support policies that would expand access to abortion care and 70% of voters believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The message is clear: voters will hold their elected officials accountable to fight for abortion access. That includes passing the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, a policy that would eliminate Rhode Island’s abortion bans and add abortion coverage for residents enrolled in Medicaid.  

In addition to these endorsements for Rhode Island General Officers, PPV!RI PAC has endorsed 63 candidates for the General Assembly (21 in the Senate and 42 in the House of Representatives.)It’s critical to elect these candidates this fall — now more than ever, Rhode Islanders need leaders in every level of government who trust people to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures. 

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Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC (PPV!RI PAC) is the state political action committee affiliated with Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island (PPV!RI) PPV!RI is the 501(c)(4) advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE).