Planned Parenthood announced plans to invest $40 million in the upcoming November elections to support President Joe Biden and leading congressional Democrats, including key races in Nevada.
“We can’t just vote for ballot initiatives,” said Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates PAC executive director Lindsey Harmon. “We also have to support the infrastructure that makes abortion access possible.”
The group is betting that voters frustrated with Republican efforts to restrict abortion access will make a critical difference in these elections.
The campaign will initially target eight other states, including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Montana, New Hampshire, and New York. The states feature races that could influence control of the Senate and House, with Biden aiming to defend his 2020 victories in some and flip others, such as North Carolina, which Trump won four years ago.
Planned Parenthood’s strategy includes volunteer and paid canvassing programs, phone banking, and a comprehensive advertising push across digital, TV, and mail platforms. Jenny Lawson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, emphasized the centrality of abortion rights in their message.
“Abortion will be the message of this election, and it will be how we energize voters,” she said. “It will be what enables us to win.”
While not a record-setting amount for the organization, the $40 million spending plan follows significant investments in previous election cycles, including $45 million ahead of Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump and $50 million before the 2022 midterms. Planned Parenthood’s advocacy arms have concentrated on contests where abortion access was a ballot issue, especially after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“We continue to see the devastation that comes when anti-abortion politicians have power,” Lawson said. “It’s just gotten worse.”
Abortion remains a pivotal political issue in the U.S., with dynamics shifting post-Supreme Court ruling. Many Republican-led states have imposed stricter abortion laws, including total bans. Conversely, voters in states such as California, Michigan, Vermont, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, and Ohio have supported abortion rights in ballot measures.
In November, additional states, including battlegrounds Arizona and Nevada, will have abortion referendums on the ballot. Florida, a state trending Republican but targeted by Biden’s campaign, will also vote on an abortion initiative.
In contrast, SBA Pro-Life America plans to spend $92 million targeting voters in eight battleground states: Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Montana, and Georgia.
Local Planned Parenthood advocacy and political groups in California, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio are preparing their advocacy campaigns for November. The efforts will also support down-ballot races, such as aiding Nevada Democrats in their bid for a supermajority in the state legislature or opposing Arizona state supreme court justices who voted to enforce an 1864 law criminalizing nearly all abortions.
Tell you what, keep your money out of my politics, and I’ll keep my politics away from your body.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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