Planned Parenthood launches massive election effort to help Democrats
In the final stretch of a campaign that has seen a stream of disparaging language about women from the Republican nominee, Planned Parenthood Votes is launching what they say is their most robust get-out-the-vote effort in their history.
A memo obtained by CBS news outlines the army of volunteers from the group’s political wing who will be working to elect candidates up and down the ballot in battleground states in the days leading up to the election.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund - the campaign arm of Planned Parenthood - boasts that they are deploying 1500 paid staffers and 3,500 volunteers knock on over half a million doors in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada and North Carolina. Thats on top of nearly 250 “Pink Out the Vote” events being planned in the same states.
It’s no secret that Trump’s field operation pales in comparison to Hillary Clinton’s, but she also has the support of well-organized and data-rich outside groups like Planned Parenthood that have added to the pile on.
In addition to the White House race, the memo lists New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nevada’s tight Senate contests as top targets. Planned Parenthood says their data team has modeled specific universes of voters motivated by reproductive rights issues.
They also have a “voter propensity model” targeting people who need to be activated before Election Day. That pool looks very much like the kind of voters likely to support Hillary Clinton: 32 percent are minorities, 26 percent are under 35, and 55 percent are female.
“Additionally, through field testing, Planned Parenthood Votes has seen our door-to-door canvassing move undecided voters up to 12 points,” reads the memo, written by Planned Parenthood Votes communications director Erica Sackin.
Clinton has made a bold call this cycle to abolish the Hyde Amendment, which bans the federal funding of abortions. Public opinion seems to be leaning in her favor: a Politico/Harvard University poll recently showed that there is bipartisan support for the federal funding of Planned Parenthood, and 48 percent of self-described Trump supporters want to continue federal funding of the group.
In all, Planned Parenthood has spent over $30 million to reach voters throughout this cycle with ads, direct mail, phone banks and one of the largest canvassing operations in the country, they say.