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October 27, 2022

Gubernatorial Bullies oppose Babies and all kind of Basic Freedoms, as an All-Female Cast of Pro-Abortion Candidates Flounder, notes Students for Life Action

“The Democratic Party apples don’t fall far from a rotted abortion tree,” notes Hawkins. “Remember that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said ‘it’s sinful’ to limit abortion and joining her in an all-female cast of bad actors on the life issue are struggling governors in four key races, which Students for Life Action predicts are trending toward better options.” 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (10-27-2022) – Having prioritized state-race engagement, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins reported that “there are signs of life creating momentum in gubernatorial races away from stalling candidates whose only agenda is more death by abortion. In a number of key races, bullies and abortion zealots are realizing that an agenda of attacking parenting and parents is a dead end.”

“Abortion is an issue at every level of government, but in the years to come, leadership in the states will have a significant role to play, protecting life in law and in service,” said Hawkins. “What’s interesting in the races where these four women are falling short is their willingness to use the power of their office to force an unwelcome agenda.”

And pro-life voters show up when it countsWriting at Newsweek, Hawkins noted: “This political debate will demand more action from politicians. Abortion motivates voters. One Pew poll found that 4 in 10 voters say abortion is “very important” for their vote, while Gallup notes that pro-life people are more likely to be single-issue voters. In Virginia’s recent gubernatorial race, in which Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat and pro-abortion extremist Terry McAuliffe, exit polling indicated that abortion was the primary issue for 5 percent of Virginia voters—Youngkin won these voters by 12 points.

Looking at current polling, four races are especially interesting, including:

KANSAS: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s track record on abortion shows career-long support. As FiveThirtyEight reports: “At a recent debate, her Republican opponent, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, needled Kelly about her support for abortion rights, saying that Kelly didn’t support any limits on when abortion should be legal. Kelly responded with the equivalent of a shrug.”

The self-proclaimed moderate has come under fire recently because of state-sponsored drag shows  for “all ages,” something Schmidt has been highlighting. The Washington Times notes, “Ms. Kelly twice vetoed bills that would bar male-born athletes from female sports.” As SFLAction has noted, such policy agendas at the Department of Educationand at Health and Human Services also include abortion and sex altering protocols that can sterilize minors.

Kelly was also stridently opposed to Kansas “Value Them Both” amendment that would have allowed Kansans to vote on abortion policy rather than locking it behind courtroom doors in the hands of judges.

Gov. Kelly (D) said,”[A]nybody who’s been alive in Kansas in the last six months knows that we have an amendment on the primary ballot that would essentially overturn the (state) Supreme Court ruling and say that women’s reproductive rights are not protected under the constitution. If people in the state of Kansas vote no on that amendment, then the status quo will remain. And women’s reproductive rights will remain constitutional here in the state of Kansas.”

While door knocking in Kansas earlier in the year to protect mothers and their children, born and preborn, an SFLAction volunteer was violently punched in the face. The legal implications of this are on-going as the case moves through court.

MICHIGAN: RedState reports that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, once considered a possible running mate for Joe Biden and a shoo-in for reelection, is in the fight of her political career to save her job against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon. Whitmer’s candidacy is beloved by NARAL, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and EMILY’s List, which is no surprise given her support for radical abortion policies and actions, including filing a lawsuit against her own state to further abortion.

Whitmer’s willingness to bully abortion into law through the courts extended to tactics she used in her COVID policies. Despite her recent attempts to re-write the history of COVID in her state, Whitmer “faces fierce backlash over Michigan’s strict stay-at-home order,” as NBC reported, that inexplicably required stores that sold food as well as home improvement products to limit sales, exhibiting a strange aversion to home improvement during lock down. Whitmer also VETOED $16 million in support for women because some argued the funds could be used to promote alternatives to abortion.

“The Abortion lobby has moved from ‘choice’ to coercion. Whether it’s locking people in their homes during COVID, shutting down schools, or forcing abortion policy, Whitmer has been Michigan’s bully-in-chief,” said Hawkins.

NEW YORK: The Democratic Governor of New York Kathy Hochul, who took office as the disgraced Andrew Cuomo exited following accusations of sexual harassment, is all in on offering women unlimited abortion if not protection from crime. And she’s stirred up controversy telling life-long New Yorkers to get out of the state.

In her recent debate, Hochul huffed when confronted with excessive crime ( Consider that 8 innocent bystanders — in one month — caught in the crossfire of NYC’s out-of-control shooting surge), with an aristocratic distain for other people’s problems. “I don’t know why that’s so important to you,” Hochul said when confronted about her policies.

Allowing abortion policy to be decided at the state level is “repulsive at every level,” said Hochul after Roe was reversed. With New York already a mega center for death by abortion, Hochul announced a $35 million fund for even more of the same, and in a state known for abortion radicalism, Hochul signed into law even more abortion policy.

“Reproductive rights are human rights,” says Hochul.

“Too bad New York women in the womb get neither,” countered Hawkins.

NEW MEXICOOne of the least popular governors in the country, Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham “pins reelection to support for abortion.” She has aggressively attacked pro-life laws and plans to spend $10 million tax dollarson a plan to end preborn life from other states by locating abortion operations on the state border.

As she signed the multi-million-dollar death warrant for the preborn, Grisham said, “Today, I reaffirm my resolve to make sure that women and families in New Mexico – and beyond – are supported at every step of the way.”

“Grisham’s twisted definition of ‘support’ wasn’t for scholarships, parenting classes, or small business loans. Her real support is for abortion vendors looking to profit from ending innocent life,” said Hawkins.

Grisham was so excited to see more preborn dead, she performed a cringe-worthy dance on a stage shared with ​​Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson and NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju. “Both appear to be dancing on stage with the governor,” reported LifeNews.

​I​n New Mexico the abortion environment is so extreme that it goes through all 9 months, and in fact, New Mexico is a late-term abortion destination.

During her time in office as she fought to keep abortion extremism in place, Grisham “paid $150,000 to settle a claim of sexual harassment from a former campaign spokesman,” notes the New York Post. The money was to settle “a crotch grab claim.”  And Grisham’s track record on “health” is spotty as she personally profited from federal contracts. Such controversies negatively impacted her bid to be Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“Ever notice how when abortion advocates say ‘healthcare’ they really mean money maker? And Governor Grisham’s willingness to support a horrific late-term abortion industry in New Mexico is a stain on a great state that deserves better,” said Hawkins.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY: A number of other gubernatorial races are trending toward pro-life candidates. CNN notes: Democrats are facing stiff battles for governor in these key states.

Many races could be highlighted, but consider the math from races: 

IN FLORIDA: “The University of North Florida has released a poll which shows Ron DeSantis with a stunning lead over Charlie Crist – at 55pc to 41pc.”

IN SOUTH DAKOTA: “In South Dakota, Republican Governor Kristi Noem is well clear of challenger Jamie Smith, at 56pc to 37pc in a new Emerson/The Hill survey.”

IN GEORGIA: The betting is in favor of Republican Brian Kemp over embattled, beleaguered, perennial Democratic Party challenger Stacey Abrams, whose advice to struggling Georgians is to use abortion as a way to cut costs.

IN ARIZONA: Republican Kari Lake is up at 54% to Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs at 43% with only 2% of voters undecided. While Hobbs refuses to debate Lake, both have strong abortion views. Lake has pledged to support the laws limiting abortion in Arizona and to work for more options for pregnant mothers, while her Democratic opponent says she won’t support a limit even after 15 weeks – almost 4 months of pregnancy.

STUDENTS FOR LIFE ACTION ENGAGEMENT: SFLAction Director Dustin Curtis notes that the mid-terms are a record-breaking engagement for the c4.

“Compared to our fall deployments in 2020, we’re likely to have an increase of 20% in doors this fall based off of current projections and an increase of students, energized by Roe’s reversal, and that’s with doubling up our students at the doors for safety concerns from violent radical abortionists,” said Curtis.

Students for Life is on pace to knock on 250,000 doors this election cycle in 33 targeted states while reaching an additional 4 million voters through our cutting-edge “Vote Pro-Life First” digital campaign, personal peer-to-peer text messages, and phone calls. More than 512 student activists have been recruited in our efforts to expose incumbents and candidates supporting the extreme agenda of the abortion lobby while highlighting those bold candidates and politicians seeking to protect Life in Law.

In the general election, SFLAction has emphasized a Vote Pro-Life First Digital Campaign and texting as the door-to-door campaign is focused primarily on state legislative races – while adding federal races to door lit where it overlaps. Given our focus on state legislative races in 95% of the primary races we engaged in, such mobilization makes a difference.

For interviews, contact Kristi Hamrick at [email protected]

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Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501c4, along with its 501c3 sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), make up the nation’s largest pro-life youth organization and a political and policy operation engaging people of all ages. Together they work to end abortion — the human rights issue of our day — and provide political, legal, and community support for women and their children, born and preborn. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, SFLA has more than 1,300 groups on middlehigh school, college, university, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. SFLA creates strategy, policy, and programming to connect those most targeted for abortion with people ready to help and builds a framework for political engagement on their behalf. SFLA and SFLAction have more conversations with those most targeted by the abortion industry than any other pro-life outreach in the world, reaching more than 2 million people across social media platforms each week and engaging in approximately 100,000 digital conversations per month. Over more than 16 years, President Kristan Hawkins has grown SFLAction/SFLA into an $18 million organization preparing for a Post-Roe America.