North Carolina: Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic Announces General Election Endorsements

Raleigh, N.C. — Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic (PPVSAT), the separately incorporated political arm of the reproductive health nonprofit, announced today a slate of 88 endorsed candidates in North Carolina’s 2020 general election.

The organization's list of pro-reproductive health candidates includes endorsements for the North Carolina Council of State and General Assembly. Topping the list are incumbents Governor Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor, State Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley. More than half of the endorsed candidates are women.

“Governor Cooper has a clear record of protecting reproductive freedom, trusting women, and allowing families to make decisions for themselves,” said Alison Kiser, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic. “He has been a strong leader throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, taking swift action to put the health of our communities first and making decisions based on science, not politics. We look forward to returning him and other health care champions to office to ensure all North Carolinians have access to the care they need to make it through this crisis.”

Since 2010, North Carolina state lawmakers have passed some of the nation’s most extreme measures, including voter suppression tactics, LGBTQ discrimination, and relentless attacks on health care, including access to abortion. Legislative leaders also refused to expand Medicaid in the state, leaving nearly 1.1 million North Carolinians to fight the COVID-19 crisis without health insurance coverage. Expanding the Medicaid health insurance program would dramatically increase access to health care in the state, extending coverage to more than 650,000 people in North Carolina.

“North Carolinians have suffered enough from the destructive policies put forth by our current leadership in the General Assembly, and this year, a pro-reproductive health majority is in reach,” said Susanna Birdsong, North Carolina Director of Public Affairs for PPVSAT. “We need to elect reproductive health champions up and down the ticket in North Carolina, especially as the future of the U.S. Supreme Court remains uncertain. It’s time for new leadership in Raleigh and priorities that include increased access to health care, investments in our communities, tackling systemic racism, and protecting basic human rights, including access to abortion.”

The voter registration deadline for the general election is October 9, 2020. Absentee ballots have already been mailed to voters in North Carolina. One-stop, in-person early voting begins Thursday, October 15, and ends Saturday, October 31.

View the full list of candidates endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic here.

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Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic (PPVSAT) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Fortifying our commitment to protect women’s health, educate teens, and prevent unintended pregnancies, PPVSAT engages in educational and electoral activity, including public education campaigns, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.