FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2016
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Group Endorses Maggie Hassan for U.S. Senate
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC today announced a TV and digital ad buy targeting incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte for failing to do the job she was elected to do. Even though 75 percent of New Hampshire voters oppose restricting access to legal abortion, Sen. Ayotte has focused her energy on restricting reproductive freedom and defunding Planned Parenthood. Now, she’s even refusing to do her job to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, proving yet again that she doesn’t share the priorities of Granite State families. NARAL today also announced its endorsement of New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan in her race for U.S. Senate. As only the second woman to hold the office of Governor in New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan has always put women and families first and has stood firm against efforts to defund Planned Parenthood or make it harder for women to access reproductive care.
Click here to watch the ad.
“In her six years in the Senate, Sen. Ayotte has time and again proven that she doesn’t share the same priorities as the hardworking people of New Hampshire,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “She promised to go to Washington and makes things easier for people in the Granite State. Instead of doing that job, she has been obsessed with restricting access to abortion even for survivors of sex trafficking, making it harder to get birth control, and shutting down Planned Parenthood. Now, she’s refusing to do her job and fill the vacancy on our nation’s highest court.”
“Maggie Hassan is an unwavering defender of our reproductive freedom,” added Hogue. “As Governor, Maggie Hassan has always stood with women and families across the Granite State. She fought back against attempts to shut down Planned Parenthood and led the successful bipartisan effort to protect the safety of women who seek reproductive care. We are proud to stand with Governor Maggie Hassan in her campaign for U.S. Senate because she has always stood up for us. In this election, the choice in New Hampshire is clear.”
The ad features Deb, a working mother, long time New Hampshire resident, and NARAL member from North Hampton. In the ad, Deb explains how she shows up to do her job every day and that she expects no less for her senator. Unfortunately, Sen. Ayotte is not doing the job she was elected to do. In the direct-to-camera spot, Deb calls out Sen. Ayotte for being obsessed with rolling back access to abortion and birth control instead of doing her job on important issues like filling the vacancy on our nation’s highest court.
To see NARAL’s ad questioning Sen. Ayotte’s priorities, click here.
Transcript
Voiceover: My husband and I show up and do the jobs we were hired for every day–but not Senator Kelly Ayotte.
She seems to think that her job is about restricting abortion, limiting access to birth control, and refusing to even consider the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
Kelly Ayotte doesn’t share my priorities, and she’s not doing the job I need her to do.
Background
Sen. Ayotte voted to ban abortion nationwide at 20 weeks (H.R. 36, 9/22/15).
Sen. Ayotte has voted many times to limit access to birth control:
- Defunding Planned Parenthood (S.1881, 8/3/15; Murray amendment to H.R.3762, 12/3/15; Collins amendment to H.R.3762, 12/3/15; enrollment resolution to H.Con.Res.36, 4/14/11; H.R.1, 3/9/11).
- Allowing bosses and health-insurance plans to refuse to provide contraceptive coverage (S.2578, 7/16/14; Fischer amendment to S.Con.Res.8, 3/22/13; Blunt amendment to S.1813, 3/1/12).
- Opposing efforts to increase funding for women’s health services, including contraception (Shaheen amendment to S.Con.Res.8, 3/22/13).
- Eliminating the Title X family-planning program, reinstating the global gag rule, and eliminating funding for the U.N. family-planning program (H.R.1, 3/9/11).
Sen. Ayotte opposes even holding a vote on a nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court (Politico, 3/16/16)
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