The pro-abortion group Emily’s List, which only supports liberal Democratic women who pledge to support unlimited abortion and to force taxpayers to fund it, has added more candidates to its 2012 roster.
Three more House candidates can expect the multi-million-dollar political action committee to bankroll their campaigns. They include former Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth in Illinois, former Orlando police chief Val Demings and former Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada.
All three of the candidates are getting support from the pro-abortion organization because they face strong primary challenges from other Democrats — with Demings facing former Rep. Alan Grayson in the Florida district potentially, Titus may face a strong primary depending on redistricting in Nevada, and former Obama campaign adviser Raja Krishnamoorthi is a likely Duckworth opponent.
“The entire EMILY’s List community is proud to support them as they stand up to the Republican’s war on women,” EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement. “After the stunning victories by Kathy Hochul in New York and Janice Hahn in California, it’s clear Democratic women have the momentum and our members are more energized than ever to win back the House.”
The quote refers to pro-life legislation Republicans have supported in the House to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business and protect taxpayers from having to fund abortions throughout federal government programs. The two races are ones in New York and California, where a pro-abortion Democrat barely held on to a long-time Democratic seat in a special election.
Other pro-abortion candidates on Emily’s List’s list include Lois Frankel in Florida’s 22nd district, Ann Kirkpatrick in Arizona’s 1st district, Ann McLane Kuster in New Hampshire’s 2nd district, Christie Vilsack in Iowa’s 4th district, Tarryl Clark in Minnesota’s 8th district, Kate Marshall in Nevada’s 2nd district and Elizabeth Etsy in Connecticut’s 5th district.
Previously, the pro-abrotion PAC named 9 different Republicans it plans to target next year — including Reps. Bob Dold of Illinois, Frank Guinta of New Hampshire, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, and Steve Stivers of Ohio. The abortion advocacy group has put them “on notice” and launched an Internet advertising campaign targeting them.
Emily’s List curiously targets both pro-life members of the House of Representatives and those with mixed records. While the other three voted pro-life twice this session of Congress by supporting the repeal of Obamacare and voting to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business, Dold did not side with pro-life advocates on the de-funding vote.
The initial set of targets for defeat that Emily’s List announced earlier tin the month included four lawmakers who have voted pro-life: Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Nevada Rep. Joe Heck and Florida Rep. Allen West. But the list also includes Rep. Charles Bass of New Hampshire, who had a mixed voting record on abortion issues when he was in Congress the first time and only has a 50 percent record this time around. While Bass pleased pro-life organizations with his vote to repeal the Obamacare law that contains abortion-funding provisions and rationing concerns, he voted against the Pence Amendment to revoke taxpayer funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
Emily’s List talked about why these members are the first up for defeat: “First, despite short tenures, they’ve already amassed appallingly anti-woman, anti-family records. And second, there is major Democratic female talent waiting in the wings.
In New Hampshire, 2010 candidate Ann McLane Kuster will challenge Bass again next year. West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel will run against West a second time around in 2012, and former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick will take on Gosar in a rematch. All three of the candidates are extremely pro-abortion in keeping with Emily’s List’s requirements that all supported candidates be Democratic women who oppose any limits on abortions — including stopping taxpayer funding or limiting late-term abortions.
The recruitments appear to be the reason the pro-abortion group is targeting two members with mixed voting records.
In addition to the $2.5 million Emily’s List funneled directly to candidates in 2010 and the $38.5 million it raised for all candidates last election in indirect donations, the organization provides staff, campaign help and other logistical support for the pro-abortion candidates it backs. However, if it wants to see pro-abortion candidates elected, Emily’s List will have to perform better than it did in the 2010 election. Emily’s List was apparently so distraught about losing the elections that it removed its election tracker off its web site the day after the pro-life landslides last year.
“Yesterday was a difficult day” for the pro-abortion movement, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards admitted in the opening of an email to supporters of the abortion business the day after the elections.
“Despite some bright spots in important races — and the resounding defeat of an anti-choice ballot initiative in Colorado — the House of Representatives is now in the hands of dangerous politicians,” she said. “There’s no getting around it: the results of yesterday’s election are truly alarming.”
