Over two years after the Supreme Court effectively ended federal abortion rights with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights, and women's rights, continue to be a major issue up and down the ballot.
On WCCO's Behind the Ballot, we take a look at The Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Political Action Fund that has launched a new campaign to keep "reproductive health care champions" in office.
The fund has invested $1.3 million in Minnesota this election cycle, promoting candidates from the top of the ballot on down who are advocating for reproductive rights. Minnesota has a State Supreme Court ruling on the books protecting those rights, but isn't stopping some groups in the state from attempting to further protect them.
Executive director Tim Stanley says while Minnesota is ahead of the curve with protections, there is still much more to do.
"Making sure that there's payments for insurance for abortion, making sure that we have expanded access to the full range of sexual and reproductive health care, like family planning STI testing," explains Stanley.
Stanley says hundreds of thousands of voters will be reached by pink clad canvassers, targeted mail and by social media with information on the candidates they support.
"Making sure that Amy Klobuchar gets returned to the Senate, that we elect Kelly Morrison in the 3rd Congressional District, and then it also includes returning Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District," Stanley told WCCO.
He says Minnesota has already protected the right to abortion by passing the Protect Reproductive Options Act in 2023 but that further protecting the state from joining other states with abortion bans will take more effort this election season.
Some of the local candidates that have already received endorsements from Planned Parenthood Minnesota include Kim Hicks for Minnesota House District 25A and Ann Johnson Stewart for Minnesota Sentae District 45.
Of course that is along side Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris who are the Democratic ticket for the White House.
Nationally, the money pouring into states with ballot measures is staggering. The groups promoting ballot measures would add amendments to the constitutions in nine states that would enshrine a right to abortion have raised more than $160 million.
That’s nearly six times what their opponents have brought in, The Associated Press found in an analysis of campaign finance data compiled by the watchdog group Open Secrets and state governments.
The campaign spending reports are a snapshot in time, especially this late in the campaigns, when contributions are rolling in for many.
The cash advantage is showing up in ad spending, where data from the media tracking firm AdImpact shows campaigns have spent more than three times as much as opponents in ads on TV, streaming services, radio and websites.
Abortion-rights supporters have prevailed on all seven ballot measures that have gone before voters since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended a nationwide right to abortion and opened the door for the bans and restrictions that are now being enforced in most Republican-controlled states.
Opponents are using parental rights and anti-transgender messages to try to undermine support for these ballot proposals.
The measures do not mention gender-affirming surgeries, and legal experts say changing existing parental notification and consent laws regarding abortions and gender-affirming care for minors would require court action.
In many states around the country, anti-abortion groups hoping to end a losing streak at the ballot box have turned to the type of language many Republican candidates nationwide are using in their own campaigns as they seek to rally conservative Christian voters.
MORE:
See all of WCCO's Behind The Ballot stories here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.