Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, announced that her organization’s political action committee proudly endorsed Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for the U.S. Senate and contributed $5,000 to his campaign.
“I will always stand up and protect a woman’s right to choose,” Blumenthal said. “I’m honored by the support of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the many Connecticut women they represent. I have always stood up for the people of Connecticut, no matter the circumstances, and in Washington I always will do the same.”
Keenan said voters in Connecticut have a long history of supporting strong pro-choice champions. She said her organization would work to keep this seat in the pro-choice column in Blumenthal’s contest with Linda McMahon.
“Richard Blumenthal is the candidate who will consistently support a woman’s right to choose,” Keenan said. “He brings to this race an impressive record as an advocate for consumers and women’s rights. We are confident that voters will see the difference between Blumenthal, a proven ace when it comes to choice, and McMahon, who is an untested wild card.”
Jillian Gilchrest, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, praised the endorsement and said Blumenthal would build on his record as an effective advocate for women’s freedom and privacy.
“Richard Blumenthal is a champion for women’s reproductive choice,” Gilchrest said. “As Connecticut’s attorney general, he has worked to ensure that insurance companies cover birth control and rape victims have access to emergency contraception. He also supported codifying women’s access to safe, legal abortion into our state law. NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut has nothing but admiration for Richard Blumenthal, and we are proud that NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC has endorsed his candidacy.”
Overall, NARAL Pro-Choice America's political program has helped produce enormous gains for pro-choice forces in Congress, including the combined net gain of 44 pro-choice seats in the House and nine new pro-choice senators in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. In its 2008 post-election analysis, National Journal ranked NARAL Pro-Choice America second among the nation's top 21 political organizations for its impressive win rate among endorsed congressional candidates in hotly contested races.
