Planned Parenthood Abandons Abortion Activists Claire McCaskill and Heidi Heitkamp Because Pro-Lifers May Beat Them

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Mar 2, 2018   |   2:11PM   |   Washington, DC

Planned Parenthood has a huge chunk of money dedicated to supporting pro-abortion candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

But two favorites of the abortion chain, pro-abortion legislators U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, and Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota, may not be getting much support this time around.

The Washington Examiner noticed that Planned Parenthood did not mention McCaskill’s or Heitkamp’s states Thursday when it announced the key races it is supporting. Their absence is notable because their seats are considered among the most vulnerable in the midterm elections.

Here’s more from the report:

Perhaps Planned Parenthood is keeping its distance to protect McCaskill and Heitkamp, whose voters may be less inclined to support lawmakers affiliated with the controversial organization. On the other hand, it could signal the group’s perception that both races are bad bets. …

Either McCaskill is a lost cause, or Planned Parenthood recognizes their help would only make it harder for the senator to convince voters she’s a centrist, despite her previous support for their work. Both possibilities should be cause for concern.

McCaskill has a 100-percent pro-abortion voting record, while Heitkamp’s voting record is 80 percent pro-abortion for the current session.

On Thursday, Planned Parenthood’s political action arms announced plans to spend $20 million to support pro-abortion candidates in eight states.

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Key targets include Senate and gubernatorial races in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to Newsweek. Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Votes plan to spend the money on TV and digital ads, mailers and on-the-ground efforts.

Republicans narrowly hold the U.S. Senate. However, they have too few votes to overcome filibusters on key pro-life bills such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Just a few more pro-life wins in the Senate could see important pro-life legislation passed. A few losses could bring the pro-abortion Democratic Party back into power.

Whether the huge political spending will achieve the abortion chain’s goals remains to be seen. It spent massive amounts on the 2016 presidential election as well, and lost.

A post-election poll by the Polling Company/Women Trend in 2016 found that 49 percent of voters said the abortion issue affected their vote. Of those, 31 percent “voted for the candidates who oppose abortion (pro-life),” while only 18 percent “voted for the candidates who favor abortion (pro-choice).” This was a 13-percent advantage for the pro-life candidate.

Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion chain in America, destroying more than 320,000 unborn babies’ lives every year. Though it receives hundreds of millions of tax dollars, it has become a major political spender, especially on high-level Democratic races across the country.