Washington, DC — Today, Planned Parenthood Votes announced the launch of its largest-ever program to help elect reproductive rights champions up and down the ballot in 2020.
Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will make a historic investment of at least $45 million in key battleground states to fund large-scale grassroots organizing programs and targeted canvass, digital, television, radio and mail programs. From the White House to the Senate to statehouses and ballot initiatives across the country, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will be there to elect reproductive rights champions and stop Trump's anti-health care agenda in its tracks.
Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will make initial investments in states critical to winning the White House, flipping the United States Senate, and building power in state legislatures. These battleground states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Broader investments are expected moving forward.
Planned Parenthood Votes also launched its Candidate Spotlight tool today — a new resource to help voters find critical information on the reproductive rights records of the 2020 presidential candidates and where they stand on topics like abortion access, birth control, and sex education.
Statement from Kelley Robinson, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Votes:
"Next November, our very rights and freedoms will be on the ballot. Already, we've seen Trump and his buddies in Congress and state legislatures do everything they can to strip us of our rights and access to health care. Who we elect will determine our access to birth control, cancer screenings, sex education, abortion access and more.
"That's why Planned Parenthood Votes will use every tool at our disposal to hit the pavement, flood the airwaves, and elect reproductive rights champions up and down the ballot. We know this is a fight we can win. Americans simply do not support attacks on their reproductive health care and rights — and they are outraged at what Trump and other politicians are doing.
"To all the politicians working to take away our rights and undermine access to health care — you've been warned. We have steadily been building our power over the last decade and we are ready to set the table on our terms. We are fired up, we are engaged, and we are going to win."
Reproductive freedom and rights hang in the balance like never before, despite the broad-based support of the American people. Last week, the Supreme Court announced it would take up the first abortion case since Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, a decision that could defy precedent and make the protections of Roe virtually meaningless. Destructive policies from the Trump administration and politicians across the country aim to end access to birth control and safe, legal abortion care for millions of people.
To fight back against these dangerous attacks, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations will, combined, run one of the largest field programs in the nation, reaching at least five million total voters by Election Day 2020. Organizers will work extensively to mobilize communities that have been disproportionately targeted by the Trump administration's anti-health care policies, including Black and Latinx people, the LGBTQ+ community, youth, and people with low incomes. Over the span of a decade, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations have invested in year-round organizing programs that prioritize voters of color and young people, in an effort to build authentic partnerships and empower communities to own their health and reproductive freedoms.
Background: Reproductive health is a top issue for voters in the 2020 election — and a winning issue for candidates.
A record-high 77 percent of Americans say they do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, and there is no state in this country where banning abortion is popular.
Recent polling showed that voters in Arizona, Colorado and key swing Congressional districts nationwide oppose the Trump administration's Title X gag rule, and are less likely to support legislators who don't act to reverse it.
A CNN poll of likely Iowa Democratic caucus participants showed that support for abortion rights is the top issue for voters — 8 in 10 voters called it a "must have," including 85% of women.
—From a press release
