MD-04: NARAL vs. Emily’s List

Less than a week after Emily’s List broke with its protocol and endorsed netroots heroine Donna Edwards over corporate Dem incumbent Rep. Al Wynn, NARAL Pro-Choice America responds by formally endorsing Wynn:

“In the 15 years that he has represented his district in Congress, Rep. Wynn has voted pro-choice 126 times on 127 votes that dealt with women’s reproductive health,” NARAL President Nancy Keenan said in a statement.

NARAL could have joined ranks with the broader progressive and netroots groups propelling Edwards.  Instead, they are endorsing a man with the following track record of corporate activism:

  • Wynn voted for the resolution authorizing Bush to use force in Iraq (aka the AUMF)
  • He voted for the odious bankruptcy bill
  • He voted for the 2005 energy bill, which was little more than a huge mess of subsidies for Dick Cheney’s oil buddies
  • He co-sponsored the anti-net neutrality COPE Act and also voted against Rep. Ed Markey’s pro-net neutrality amendment to the bill
  • One of these groups seems to understand what movement building means; the other clearly doesn’t.

    3 thoughts on “MD-04: NARAL vs. Emily’s List”

    1. I personally wanna see Donna Edwards beat Al Wynn next year and was very disappointed when she lost last year.

      That said: aren’t you making a little too much of this. Aren’t these two groups just out to further their own interests, therefore NARAL goes with the guy that has gone with them 99% of the time and Emily’s List goes with Donna because they want to see more women elected.

      Don’t you think that if gender roles were reversed here (the incumbent a woman, the challenger a man) that Emily’s List would unequivocally stand behind the incumbent?

      I know Emily’s List wasn’t behind Donna’s candidacy last year. I think they’ve endorsed her this year because they don’t want to see a Democratic woman elected without their support. I don’t think it has anything to do with building a movement. It’s just interest group politics.

    2. Is about electing pro-choice women. NARAL is about electing pro-choice people period. Hence the reason Emily’s List is endorsing Hillary over the pro-choice Obama, Edwards and every other Dem in the race. 

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