| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2018 |
CONTACT: Mallory Quigley [email protected] | 202-223-8073 |
Pro-life Wins in the Senate, in Key Gubernatorial Races, and on Ballot Initiatives; SBA List Efforts & Candidates who went on Offense for Life Were Key to Victory on Election Day
Washington, D.C. –Today Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser issued the following analysis in response to last night’s pro-life electoral victories.
Pro-life Majority in the U.S. Senate
“Yesterday was a clear victory for the pro-life movement. The Senate once again has a pro-life majority – a ringing affirmation of President Trump’s pro-life agenda from the American people, who have seen him deliver on a key promise by appointing two outstanding Supreme Court justices. In competitive battleground states, pro-lifers who don’t typically vote in midterm elections delivered victory for pro-life Senate candidates. Senators-elect Kevin Cramer, Marsha Blackburn, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, Mike Braun, among others, went on offense for life throughout the campaign, distinguishing themselves from their opponents’ radical views on abortion. Voters were appalled to learn of their incumbent senator’s abortion extremism and repeated betrayal of their constituents’ pro-life values, and they sent a strong message at the ballot box.
“In 2010, there was not a single pro-life woman in the U.S. Senate. Next year there will be at least four pro-life women Senators, and five if pro-life Martha McSally wins in Arizona. We thank Leader Mitch McConnell for his work to secure this new pro-life majority and ask him to put one of these outstanding pro-life women on the Judiciary Committee.
Pro-life Wins in Key Gubernatorial Races
“Pro-life candidates also gained or continue to control the Governor’s mansions in states that will play a critical role in 2020. In Iowa, Florida, Ohio, and Georgia, pro-life champions battled pro-abortion radicals and won. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds, who has signed the most aggressive pro-life state legislation to date, defeated Fred Hubbell, a former longtime board member of the nation’s largest abortion chain Planned Parenthood.
Life Wins Directly on the Ballot
“Abortion was directly on the ballot in Alabama, West Virginia and Oregon. In the deep red state of Alabama, pro-life Amendment 2 was enacted by the people by a wide margin. In West Virginia, Mountain State voters firmly rejected taxpayer funding of abortion on demand by passing Amendment 1, which could spare the lives of 1,500 unborn children in the state every year. In Oregon, pro-abortion forces outspent the pro-life movement by at least three to one to secure an abortion win in a deep blue state.”
SBA List Impact: Pro-life is a Winning Message
“Susan B. Anthony List efforts delivered hundreds of thousands of votes key to victory in Senate battlegrounds, gubernatorial races, and on the ballot in West Virginia. SBA List identified these opportunities early and had boots on the ground for the Senates races long before the election was on most people’s minds. Starting in July of 2017, our field team of more than 1,100 canvassers visited 2.7 million inconsistent pro-life voters across nine states – including Indiana, North Dakota, Missouri, Florida, and Arizona – educating them about the candidates’ record and the stakes of this election for unborn children and their mothers – more than doubling our outreach in the 2016 election cycle. SBA List also encouraged candidates to go on offense on the campaign trail and to speak with confidence about their pro-life stand. In North Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, and elsewhere, there was unity of message between the candidates, GOP campaign committees, and pro-life groups. Voters heard the message loud and clear. They knew exactly where each candidate stood on life and pulled the lever accordingly.
“In West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin could not have survived if he had not crossed the aisle to vote for Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Senators facing re-election in 2020 like Sens. Doug Jones, Gary Peters, and Tina Smith should take note.
Reality of a Split Legislature
“SBA List set out to expand our pro-life majority in the U.S. Senate. Mission accomplished. We will continue to press forward with this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform activist courts and reject the current status quo of abortion on demand through birth. But we must also face the reality of a now pro-abortion led House of Representatives that is determined to thwart President Trump’s pro-life policy agenda. The pro-life movement cannot be complacent. We must be prepared to fight to hold the line on important pro-life policies such as the Hyde Amendment.”
SBA List is a network of more than 700,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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