Granite Post: How Kelly Ayotte’s Leadership In National Anti-Abortion Group Could Undercut Her Latest Run

Granite Post: How Kelly Ayotte’s Leadership In National Anti-Abortion Group Could Undercut Her Latest Run

A new report from the Granite Post details how Kelly Ayotte is facing scrutiny for helping found and sitting on the board of the anti-abortion group Winning for Women, which the Washington Post described as a “major player in getting more antiabortion women to Washington.”

As the Granite Post reports, “Ayotte was so intimately involved in the operations of the group, NPR described Winning for Women as being ‘headed by former New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte.’” 

Under Ayotte’s leadership, Winning for Women became “a powerful force in advancing the far-right anti-abortion agenda,” and “provided over $8.3 million in financial support to 44 candidates who backed anti-abortion legislation and sought to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

The Granite Post also reveals how on the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, Ayotte’s organization “launched a joint fundraising committee, funneling over $1 million to six candidates who supported the reversal and advocated for further abortion restrictions.”

This new report comes after Republican VP nominee JD Vance reaffirmed a threat to defund Planned Parenthood over the weekend, renewing focus on Kelly Ayotte’s four votes and ongoing pledge to strip away funding for this health care provider that serves thousands of New Hampshire women.

Read more from the Granite Post on Kelly Ayotte’s role in the national anti-abortion group Winning for Women:

• Ayotte helped found the political action committee Winning for Women in 2017, pitched as an opposing conservative force to EMILY’s List, a Democrat-backed group with the goal of electing pro-choice women. She held a top leadership position on the board from the organization’s founding until at least December 2023.

• Ayotte’s two decade long-career in politics has been defined by repeated attacks on reproductive rights, having voted to ban abortion nationwide while in the Senate, voting to defund Planned Parenthood multiple times and acting as Donald Trump’s sherpa for Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch was called Trump’s “downpayment” on his promise to overturn Roe and was later a deciding vote on the vote to roll back the historic legislation.

• She voiced no opposition when New Hampshire Republicans tried to enact a 15-day abortion ban, and tried to limit abortion care to only 2 hospitals in the state.

• She has also said she would not codify abortion protections into New Hampshire law. New Hampshire is the only state in New England that does not enshrine affirmative abortion protections into law, leaving the door open for conservative lawmakers to enact further restrictions.

• “From her earliest days in public office, Ayotte has consistently opposed abortion access and worked to defund family planning programs. Now, as she campaigns for governor, she wants voters to believe she’s had a sudden change of heart,” Said Kayla Montgomery, New Hampshire spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes. ”Granite Staters deserve better than a politician who attempts to rewrite her history to suit her own political ambitions.”

• Among the candidates backed by Ayotte and Winning for Women were some of the most hardline figures in the Republican Party. As a key leader of Winning for Women, Ayotte helped shape the organization’s strategy to boost far-right candidates.

• Ayotte was intimately involved in the organization’s fundraising efforts, helping far right candidates connect with donors. Her leadership was crucial in securing millions of dollars in campaign funding for these candidates, which helped boost their electoral success.

• The group was a prominent backer of Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who called a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects the rights of married couples to obtain and use birth control “constitutionally unsound.”

• Under Ayotte’s leadership, Winning for Women became a major player in the anti-abortion movement, particularly after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.

• Under Ayotte’s leadership, Winning for Women not only endorsed candidates who supported the reversal of Roe v. Wade but also pushed for policies that could ban abortion nationwide. This could raise concerns among moderate and independent voters who are wary of the influence of extreme, anti-abortion figures on the national stage.

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