In the days and weeks leading up the elections, there's been a major shift toward pro-choice candidates. Voters in key heartland states are getting the message about where candidates stand on common-sense issues like support for women's health and safety - and it's clear they care.
In Ohio, anti-choice candidate Ken Blackwell (R), who said he would sign an abortion ban even more extreme than the one in South Dakota, trails pro-choice candidate Ted Strickland (D). In Wisconsin, pro-choice Gov. Jim Doyle (D) is running against Mark Green (R), who opposes providing emergency contraception to rape survivors. Doyle is the one thing standing between women's health and safety and a total abortion ban. This year Doyle vetoed seven anti-choice bills this legislative session, including a law that would have allowed concealed weapons into family planning clinics. Michigan's gubernatorial candidate, Dick DeVos (R), is trailing pro-choice Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) and running scared from his extreme views: in a televised debate, he insisted he would do nothing to change the state's current abortion law -- and yet the very next day said on a Catholic radio show that he supports a South Dakota-style ban.
Our supporters have been out on the streets, raising money, collecting signatures, and getting people in these key states excited to vote on election day. We all feel the momentum building, and we want to be ready for this pivotal moment in our country's history. We CAN advance an agenda that ensures the health and safety of women and families. But we can't get there without a plan.
We have to make it clear what we are for, not just what we are against. We will play offense, not defense, in exposing anti-choice groups and their political sponsors and making them explain their indefensible anti-family planning positions. We have to communicate common-sense values to the entire nation. We're striking a new deal between the pro-choice movement and legislators and policymakers. We will use the courts to broadcast our message.
Read more about our strategy and let us know what you think.