Planned Parenthood Votes, Planned Parenthood Action Fund Launch 2018 Electoral Program

The 2018 program will represent the largest midterm investment in Action Fund and Votes history

The program will focus on gubernatorial, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, attorneys general, and state legislature races around the country

Washington, DC – Today, Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced the launch of their 2018 electoral program, March. Vote. Win., to elect reproductive health care champions this year. For the 2018 midterms, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations are making an initial investment of $20 million to run large, grassroots mobilization programs in states across the country and to build robust TV, digital, and mail programs to tap into the millions of grassroots supporters that took action last year and turn their support into victories at the ballot box.

Much of the initial $20 million investment will go toward gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in eight states –– Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin –– although there will be investments in other states as well. Additionally, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will run programs for several U.S. House, attorneys general, and state legislature races.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund also unveiled its electoral website, March. Vote. Win. This site will educate voters about where candidates stand on reproductive health care issues, as well as plug supporters into actions, canvasses, phone banks, and more all across the country.

In addition, Planned Parenthood Federal PAC will be working directly with U.S. Senate and House campaigns around the country to elect champions of women's rights and health.

Statement from Deirdre Schifeling, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Votes:

Today we have a clear message for politicians who are undermining our freedoms and making it harder to get health care: We’re voting you out in 2018.”

“The Trump-Pence administration is responsible for an unprecedented assault on Planned Parenthood patients and our communities, aided by politicians at state and federal levels who have supported dangerous policies meant to strip us of our rights and our ability to access health care. In response, we’ve marched, we’ve mobilized, we’ve organized, and together we’ve built a historic resistance. Now, our electoral program is going to channel that energy and the activism into electoral victories across the country in 2018.

“We’ve already seen millions across the country rise up. With the launch of March. Vote. Win., we’re taking this fight to the ballot box. We are going to ensure that our elected officials have our backs.

Over the past year, the Trump-Pence administration has allowed employers to deny birth control coverage to their employees, cut teen pregnancy prevention programs, tried to block care at Planned Parenthood, attempted to strip more than 20 million people of their health care, and stacked the courts with anti-abortion judges. These policies are hardest on communities of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities that have been historically discriminated against, and as a result have worse access to reproductive health care — and worse health outcomes.

As a result of these attacks, women have been leading an unprecedented increase in activism and energy across the country to fight back. Planned Parenthood gained over 1.5 million new supporters in the past year alone. Women of color led the way to big electoral victories in Alabama and Virginia. Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s March. Vote. Win. program is positioned to channel this new grassroots energy into electoral victories in 2018.

Background: Reproductive Health is a Deciding Issue in Elections

The Trump-Pence administration has been attempting to strip peoples’ access to reproductive health care since day one. The American people are overwhelmingly opposed to these attacks, and to politicians who support them.

In Virginia in 2017, reproductive health care and rights played a key role in Governor Northam’s victory.

• In the days before the election, Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC talked to undecided voters about reproductive health care and moved voters towards Ralph Northam.

• In polling, we found reproductive health care and rights messaging created significant movement among key parts of the Virginia electorate:

  • Black voters moved toward Ralph Northam by 19 points
  • Voters over the age of 65 moved towards Ralph Northam by 8 points
  • Lean Democrats voters moved towards Ralph Northam by 4 points
  • Lean Republicans voters moved towards Ralph Northam by 2 points

Voters overwhelmingly oppose blocking access to care at Planned Parenthood.

• Twenty national polls all show overwhelming support for Planned Parenthood.

• A Quinnipiac poll shows that 80 percent of American voters are opposed to “defunding” Planned Parenthood and blocking patients who rely on Medicaid from accessing preventive and essential health care.

• A PerryUndem poll that shows that 57 percent of Trump voters oppose actions that would prohibit women from accessing birth control, well-woman care, and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood.

• In swing states, an overwhelming majority of voters oppose attempts to block people from receiving birth control and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood. And are less like to support candidates who vote to “defund” Planned Parenthood.

  • In a series of focus groups in swing states across the country, Donald Trump’s own voters made clear they would be “disappointed” with defunding Planned Parenthood.
     
  • 59 percent of voters in 13 swing districts say they oppose defunding Planned Parenthood and 54 percent said if their member of Congress supported defunding Planned Parenthood, they would be less likely to vote for them. [Public Policy Polling, 4/27/17]
     
  • In Iowa, 71 percent of voters, including 74 percent of Independents, and 50 percent of Republicans, believe Planned Parenthood should receive reimbursement for non-abortion related health services. [Des Moines Register, 2/9/18]

A majority of Americans support access to safe, legal abortion.

• A recent Quinnipiac poll shows that 70 percent of respondents agree with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. [Quinnipiac Polling, 1/27/17]

• A recent PerryUndem poll from this year shows that 72 percent of voters do not want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. This includes a majority of Trump voters (52 percent) and 82 percent of millennial voters (between 18 and 29). [PerryUndem, 1/11/18]

  • That same poll found that Independents are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports access to abortion: Forty-six percent of independents said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports access to safe, legal abortion, while only 15 percent of independents said they are more likely to vote for someone who opposes access to safe, legal abortion.

• Pew Research found that 69 percent of the American public does not want to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade. [Pew Research, 1/3/17]

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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 voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.

Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.