Planned Parenthood Action Fund Rolls Out Next Wave of Political Endorsements

Action Fund endorsements include top Senate challengers Sara Gideon (ME), Jaime Harrison (SC) and Barbara Bollier (KS)

WASHINGTON — Today, Planned Parenthood Action Fund (Action Fund) rolled out its third phase of political endorsements, uplifting several key candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, including Senate challengers Sara Gideon of Maine, Jaime Harrison of South Carolina and Barbara Bollier of Kansas. From judicial nominations to abortion access to funding reproductive health programs, the Senate makes critical decisions that directly impact Planned Parenthood health center patients every day. Yet, the Senate has confirmed 187 federal judges, many of whom clearly oppose the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion. While the pro-reproductive health majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has fought to make historic investments in reproductive health, Senate Republicans continue to block these efforts, prioritizing political games over the needs of their constituents.

These Action Fund endorsements come a week after the announcement of the official launch of We Decide 2020, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political programs’ 2020 electoral program.

Winning a reproductive health majority in the U.S. Senate is a top priority for the organization in 2020. With this announcement, the Action Fund has endorsed over 200 House and Senate candidates this cycle, and will continue to invest in federal races across the country, including in key battlegrounds like Colorado and North Carolina as well as rising battlegrounds like Iowa, Georgia, Texas, Alaska, Tennessee and Montana.

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, Acting President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

“We are proud to endorse this round of champions for key seats in the U.S. House and Senate. It’s past time we had a Senate that stood up for our health and our rights. We’ve seen Republican leadership push extreme judicial nominees, take away funding for reproductive health programs, and more. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is excited to endorse candidates who know protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights is a priority for the people they will serve. We have a Senate majority within our grasp, and we believe these candidates are the ones who will tip the balance."

Some of the candidates in this wave of Action Fund endorsements include:

Sara Gideon — As speaker of the Maine House, Sara has been leading the charge for reproductive health care access in Maine.
Jaime Harrison — As chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Harrison was fundamental in the fight to expand Medicaid to over 46,000 more South Carolinians.
Barbara Bollier — As a former Republican state legislator, she fought time and again to protect and expand access to healthcare — including abortion care, and Medicaid expansion.

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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.