WASHINGTON, D.C., February 28, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The nation's largest abortion provider is on its way to being one of America's most influential players in the 2014 midterm elections.
Between $2.4 million spent in 2013 on the Virginia gubernatorial race and races in at least 14 states this year, Planned Parenthood is expected to spend over $18 million dollars on advertisements, door-to-door awareness campaigns, and generally convincing women to vote for Democratic candidates.
Democratic candidates and outside groups have made single women a substantial target in 2014. Unmarried women went for President Obama by 36 percent in 2012, and were significant in swinging the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in 2013. McAuliffe won among women by nine points.
Planned Parenthood spent $4.2 million in the 2010 midterm elections. This year, pro-life advances by Republicans at the state level are bringing the abortion provider out front-and-center for Democrats.
Two women known for their pro-abortion stances, gubernatorial candidates Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-PA, in Pennsylvania and State Sen. Wendy Davis in Texas, will be the beneficiaries of much of Planned Parenthood's focus.
In 2012, a “War on Women” meme helped Democrats win at least one House seat, two Senate seats, and the presidency. They renewed this charge in 2012, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, saying rather than look at social issues – which happened in 2012 – Democrats will look to claim there is an economic War on Women, on issues such as the minimum wage.
Washington Examiner commentary writer Ashe Schow told LifeSiteNews, “Democrats have managed to paint the GOP as having a 'War on Women' problem, while ignoring that policies from their own side of the aisle have kept women from moving out of poverty and achieving success.”
“Meanwhile,” says Schow, “the left demagogues GOP policies that promote an end to government dependence. Now we learn that Planned Parenthood – which makes most of its money from abortions and government assistance – is planning to spend millions of dollars on the 2014 elections in order to elect politicians that will vote for the same policies that keep women down and force them to seek the help of Planned Parenthood.”
Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser was sharply critical of the GOP for letting Democrats dominate the messaging battle, according to Politico. “We cannot afford another election cycle of crouching in a fetal position and hoping the attacks go away,” she said.
Politico also quoted a GOP pollster, Kellyanne Conway, who said the party has looked at abortion “like you’re a pregnant teenager, hoping it’ll go away, and nine months later it’s a really big issue.”
Schow had similar criticisms, noting that “if the GOP wants to push back against [the new War on Women meme], they're going to need to formulate a strong message based on creating jobs and wealth. The GOP needs to explain how its policies help single women – and so far they have failed.”
While Democrats are generally considered to have a small chance of taking the House – they would need nearly 20 seats, and face being tied to an unpopular president while redistricting favors the GOP – party leaders argue that a renewed economic message targeting unmarried women could help a great deal. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has also significantly outraised its GOP counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee.