ONE YEAR AFTER CONGRESSIONAL DEFUND VOTE: NEW PPP POLLS SHOW MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN KEY SWING STATES LESS LIKELY TO VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO WANT TO DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD
For Immediate Release: Sept. 29, 2016
Polls surveyed voters in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania
Washington, DC — Almost a year after Congress nearly shut down the federal government in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, new polls show that a majority of voters in five key swing states — North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania— are less likely to vote for candidates who want to defund Planned Parenthood. The polls, conducted by Public Policy Polling, were released today.
The findings show that support for Planned Parenthood cuts across party lines, resonating with not just Democrats but Independent voters — a key demographic this tight election cycle — and more than a third of Republican voters in most of these states.
Quote from Deirdre Schifeling, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Votes:
“One year ago, Republican leadership in Congress nearly shut down the federal government in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood health centers. Now their attacks on women’s health care are coming back to bite them at the ballot box. One in five women will get care at a Planned Parenthood health center in her lifetime. When senators attack Planned Parenthood and reproductive health care, they’re attacking the millions of patients who rely on that care each year. Sens. Ayotte, Burr, Toomey, and Portman and Rep. Heck can’t spend months attacking women’s health care, and then turn around and expect voters to support them for re-election.”
Nearly one year ago, Congress was locked in a battle and nearing a government shutdown over “defunding” Planned Parenthood. In their obsession over attacking reproductive health care, a number of conservative lawmakers — including Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Rob Portman (R-OH), and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) — wanted to prevent Planned Parenthood health centers from serving patients who rely on federal programs for health care, “defunding” the non-profit health care provider by cutting patients across the country off from care. Though a shutdown was ultimately averted, a similar measure did pass in early January of 2016 — one that President Obama promptly vetoed.
This poll comes as Planned Parenthood political and advocacy organizations are running a $30 million program this election cycle — their largest to date. The program includes a plan to reach 5 million voters through canvassing, grassroots organizing, mailers, phone calls, and a robust paid media strategy. The program is targeting the voters who matter — those who haven’t yet made up their minds, or who are least likely to turn up at the polls, and for whom a candidate's support or opposition to reproductive health care and Planned Parenthood will make a difference at the polls.
Click to read the full results of the polls: North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.