Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses 101 Candidates Who Will Champion Reproductive Rights
For Immediate Release: Dec. 3, 2019
WASHINGTON — Today, Planned Parenthood Action Fund issued another wave of endorsements in the 2020 electoral cycle, endorsing 101 champions of reproductive health care running in House and Senate races across the country. With this announcement, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund has endorsed 190 candidates so far in this cycle.
In this round, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is prioritizing several incumbent, stalwart champions in Congress who have fought tirelessly to defend their constituents’ reproductive rights and access to health care. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is also expanding its list of candidates who have a chance to flip a seat from “red to pink”, including House races in Iowa, Alaska, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, Acting President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“So much is at stake in this election. Emboldened by the Trump administration’s divisive rhetoric, Republican leadership in Congress has been hellbent on stripping away our rights and pushing access to health care out of reach for millions of Americans — leaving many with nowhere to turn for care. As we’ve seen in Virginia, in Kentucky, and across the country, Americans will not stand for having their reproductive health and rights attacked. We’re proud to stand with our incumbent champions and fierce challengers. Together we can and will expand our pro-reproductive rights majority in the House and flip the Senate.”
The administration’s attacks on birth control and more have spurred backlash across the country, with access to reproductive health care — including safe, legal abortion — a top issue heading into 2020. A record-high 77 percent of Americans say they do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, and there is no state where banning abortion is popular.
This latest wave of endorsements comes after historic victories for reproductive rights. In Kentucky, Attorney General Andy Beshear won the race for governor against incumbent Matt Bevin, who made Beshear’s support for reproductive rights the central issue in the campaign. And in Virginia, reproductive rights supporters played a critical role in defeating a misinformation campaign by anti-abortion groups, and helped flip both chambers in the commonwealth.
Since day one, the Republican leadership in Congress has supported the Trump administration’s efforts to put health, rights, and freedoms at risk. This summer, the Trump administration began enforcing a gag rule that forced Planned Parenthood health centers out of Title X, the nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care. This unethical gag rule endangered care for millions of people struggling to make ends meet, particularly for many communities of color and people living in rural areas. Those elected to Congress in 2020 will have the ability to reverse the Title X gag rule and make a difference for access to reproductive health and rights across the country.
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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.