Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Celebrates Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Victory in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
Defeat of anti-choice, anti-freedom Republican opponent Paul Junge is a win for Michiganders and reproductive freedom
Michigan — Yesterday, voters in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District reelected NARAL-endorsed incumbent Rep. Elissa Slotkin to the U.S. House of Representatives. Slotkin’s victory marks a huge win for reproductive freedom and maintains a critical seat in the U.S. House.
In response to Slotkin’s victory, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement:
“We are proud to have endorsed Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a proven champion for reproductive freedom, and congratulate her on winning this critical race. We know that Rep. Slotkin will continue to be a fierce defender of our fundamental rights in the House—and we need elected officials like her now more than ever.”
NARAL endorsed Slotkin as part of its largest-ever electoral program. The historic program reached over 3 million voters in key states, including Michigan, through its historic 2020 electoral program.
NARAL Pro-Choice America worked to combat state bills that restrict reproductive freedom and elect reproductive freedom champions to the Michigan state legislature. NARAL held fireside chats, meet-and-greet events, phone banks, and postcard-writing parties for these candidates as well as Michigan candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
NARAL’s Michigan electoral program included NARAL staff and volunteers making 54,000 calls to voters, and reaching nearly 3,500 voters as part of NARAL’s direct mail program. NARAL also held 27 events, activating over 270 volunteers who not only made thousands/tens of thousands of calls, but also sent 105,000 text messages, and 7,500 postcards.
NARAL Pro-Choice America Freedom Fund invested $185,000 in Michigan, running a major ad campaign to boost Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in his reelection campaign in the final weeks of the election. NARAL also partnered with Detroit Action and Rising Voices of Asian American Families to release an ad centered around election oversight. These digital ads garnered over 2.1 million impressions.
Key to NARAL’s 2020 strategy was activating its more than 85,000 members statewide to reach, persuade, and mobilize Michiganders who were motivated by Trump and Republicans’ unyielding attacks on reproductive freedom.
Recent polling found that a strong majority (74%) of Michigan voters believe that abortion should be legal, and that the government should not prevent a woman from making that decision for herself.
Read more about NARAL’s endorsed candidates here.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters have fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom—including access to abortion, contraception, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 7 in 10 Americans who believe every person should have the freedom to make the best decision for themselves about if, when, and how to raise a family.