Quigley Win Keeps Illinois Seat in Pro-Choice Column

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised the voters of Illinois' 5th Congressional District for electing pro-choice – and NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC-endorsed – Mike Quigley in a special election to succeed pro-choice Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Quigley defeated Rosanna Pulido, a rigidly anti-choice candidate who is far outside the mainstream when it comes to a woman's right to choose, with 69 percent of the vote.

"Mike Quigley's win represents a victory for mainstream values and reaffirms that voters want leaders who will stand up for our freedom and privacy," Keenan said. "Representative-elect Quigley has been a strong supporter of the right to choose as a county commissioner and will continue to be an advocate for choice in Congress. We look forward to working with Mike Quigley to defend women's reproductive freedom while uniting behind commonsense, common-ground proposals, like better access to birth control, that would prevent unintended pregnancies and thus reduce the need for abortion."

NARAL Pro-Choice America mobilized its volunteers and activists in the final weeks of the campaign to keep IL-05 in the pro-choice column by sending more than 1800 email alerts to NARAL Pro-Choice America activists in the district urging them to vote for Quigley.

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 eight 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:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032