Planned Parenthood launches $1.5M electoral campaign in Arizona
Sep 24, 2022, 10:00 AM | Updated: 12:27 pm
(LAURA SEGALL/AFP via Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Planned Parenthood Votes launched a $1.5 million statewide electoral program in Arizona for the upcoming midterms on Friday, the same day a judge ruled Arizona can enforce a near-total ban on abortions.
The funds will be invested into the campaigns of Sen. Mark Kelly, Democratic nominee for governor Katie Hobbs and Democrats running for positions in the Arizona House and Senate, according to a press release.
The program is part of Take Control, a national $50 million campaign by Planned Parenthood to elect pro-abortion rights candidates.
“Abortion rights are on the ballot in Arizona and whomever wins our elections will play a critical role in determining our ability to control our own bodies. We know what’s at stake for Arizonans and Planned Parenthood Votes will spend $1.5 million to reelect Sen. Mark Kelly and elect Katie Hobbs and other key champions for abortion rights,” Kelley Dupps, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in Arizona, said in the release.
“With less than 50 days until Election Day, Planned Parenthood Votes will work nonstop, communicating with Arizonans about which candidates want to protect their rights and which want to roll back the clock.”
Arizona canvassers plan to knock on 3,000 doors this weekend, while phone bank volunteers will make 2,500 calls as part of the program’s Weekend of Action.
Planned Parenthood Votes in Arizona aims to reach 200,000 people in the state via canvassing, phone banking, mailing, paid advertisements and radio, according to the release.
Abortion rights have been a prominent issue in Arizona races since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade case on June 24.
Friday’s ruling by Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson results in the banning of abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy in Arizona effective Saturday.
Planned Parenthood will invest in eight other key states: Georgia, Nevada, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Michigan and Wisconsin.