Elections

Sestak Win Sets Stage for Potential Pro-Choice Pick-Up in Pennsylvania

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, congratulated pro-choice Rep. Joe Sestak for winning the primary election for Pennsylvania's Senate seat. In a hard-fought race, Sestak defeated Sen. Arlen Specter, a mixed-choice 30-year incumbent.

"Joe Sestak's win represents a victory for mainstream values and reaffirms that voters want leaders who consistently stand up for our freedom and privacy," Keenan said. "This primary win marks the first step. Now, we must stand with Joe as he faces off against Pat Toomey. NARAL Pro-Choice America will work hard to ensure that Pennsylvanians understand that Joe Sestak is the only candidate who will stand up for women's reproductive freedom and keep politicians from interfering in our personal, private decisions."

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC contributed $5,000 to Sestak's primary bid. NARAL Pro-Choice America mobilized thousands of its pro-choice supporters and activists in the final week of the campaign to ensure Pennsylvania voters had a pro-choice candidate to choose in November.

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.

Contact:
Samantha Gordon, 202.973.3032