Granite Staters Deserve A Reproductive Rights Champion As Their Governor

Concord, N.H. — Tonight’s gubernatorial primary in New Hampshire solidified the choice for November’s election: Joyce Craig, who will expand abortion rights in the Granite State, faces off against Kelly Ayotte, who has a long track record of supporting anti-abortion policies. Following tonight’s results, Kayla Montgomery, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in New Hampshire, issued the following statement:

“Kelly Ayotte, both as New Hampshire’s attorney general and as U.S. Senator, never missed an opportunity to attack Granite Staters’ reproductive freedom: she repeatedly voted to defund Planned Parenthood; voted for a national abortion ban; supported making birth control harder to access; and first claimed the political spotlight by trying to make abortion harder to access. Ayotte now wants to distance herself from her staunch anti-abortion record, but Granite Staters see right through her. They deserve a champion like Joyce Craig who trusts people to make their own decisions about their own lives.”

Kelly Ayotte has proven time and again that she cannot be trusted to protect reproductive freedom in New Hampshire. Her record speaks for itself.

• In the U.S. Senate, Ayotte voted for a national abortion ban.
• Ayotte has repeatedly voted to defund Planned Parenthood.
• Ayotte played a pivotal role in supporting Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, aiding in securing his confirmation to the court. Gorsuch’s lifetime appointment soon led to the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
• She has voted to make it more difficult and expensive to get birth control by co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment.
• She even voted to allow employers and insurance companies to refuse coverage of IVF.
• As New Hampshire attorney general, Ayotte defended an unconstitutional parental notification requirement that did not include an exception for the health of the mother to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Notably, one of Ayotte’s first endorsers in her campaign for governor, State Senator Carrie Gendreau, is one of the sponsors of the state’s 15-day abortion ban. Gendreau said she would rather ban abortion at “zero” weeks.

Ayotte has been trying to distance herself from her abysmal record, now vowing that she would protect New Hampshire's current abortion laws. But Granite State voters will not be fooled by her sudden change of heart. She has spent her entire career undermining sexual and reproductive health care, making it very clear where she stands on these issues and how she would lead as governor. Kelly Ayotte cannot be trusted to fight for Granite Staters' reproductive rights.

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Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.