If there was any doubt before, there’s little now that Sen. Mark Begich is going to make women’s issues a big part of his campaign. Today and tomorrow, Begich will be hosting Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, for various events. (The press release is below.)
Numbers to keep in mind: About 257,000 men were registered to vote in Alaska’s 2012 general election. Only 147,588 voted. In that same election, about 248,000 women were registered to vote and 152,075 did so. In other words, women vote at a greater percentage than do men.
The majority of Alaskans are said to be at least nominally pro-choice. However, as evidenced by the make up of the Legislature, choice issues haven’t been a main general-election vote-driver in the state. But now, with the Hobby Lobby case and a more conservative Supreme Court, the issue will likely resonate more with women and pro-choice men than it did in the past.
Here’s the release and details of Richards’ visit:
Mark Begich is pleased to welcome Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, to Alaska where she will join Begich at several events open to media to discuss the importance of keeping government and bosses out of women’s health care decisions, women’s privacy, and access to birth control and basic health care in Alaska.
Richards and Begich will hold a town hall with young women at the University of Alaska Anchorage TODAY, followed by a small business owners roundtable and media availability on TUESDAY.
Cecile Richards is a national leader on women’s rights and health care issues. At Planned Parenthood she has successfully championed expanded health care coverage, basic reproductive services and access to birth control for women, among other issues.
Begich is the only candidate in Alaska’s Senate race who has proven himself to be an ally of Alaska women. Begich opposes the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision and cosponsored a bill to have the decision overturned. He believes that women have the right to make their own medical decisions and that the government has no right to come between a woman and her doctor.
Monday, August 11, 2014 – Anchorage
Young Women’s Town Hall at UAA
TIME: 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
WHERE: UAA Student Union South Cafe
2921 Spirit Way
Tuesday, August 12, 2014 – Anchorage
Small Business Owners Roundtable
TIME: 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Spenard Roadhouse
1049 W. Northern Lights Blvd.
I think this is a good move for Begich. Nobody on the far religious right is likely to vote for him so this is a safe place to energize his base. The only possible angle to get after here to hurt him with it is to point out a lot of the nonsense Planned Parenthood gets up to. It is not just a Women’s Health organization, it is a wide based government funded left wing war machine at times. And their positions on pregnancy termination are way out there and can make even pro-choice people like myself want to vomit.
Really? Because as an Alaskan woman it doesn’t feel that way. But, of course, male commentators will rarely understand that.
Obama and friends are going to send anyone they can think of. The senate looks like its going R!!!!!!
My opinion, Mr. Begich positioning himself as a champion of the death culture is a mistake. Most people know in their heart of hearts abortion is wrong and a tragedy in every sense of the word.
It’s worth noting that since 1968 Alaska has had 16 U.S. Senate races and pro-choice candidates have won twelve of them.
With Senator Walsh of Nebraska dropping out of the race, the Democrats are going to push Alaska even harder than they did before. I think we can expect to see more of these type of visitors coming in to support Begich.
I agree that they will attempt to make it as big an issue in this election as they possibly can, but I am not sure that it will sway anyone who was going to vote for that party anyway. I think Alaskans are smart enough to figure out that the government isn’t banning access to contraceptives, only defining who is responsible for paying for contraceptive healthcare.