Birth Control Controversies a Fundraising Boon

Birth control controversies a fundraising boon

Editor’s Note: Robin Bravender of Politico reports of a recent rise in activity – specifically fundraising and membership enrollment in women’s groups such as EMILY’s List, whose participation has doubled in the past 18 months to more than 1 million members. The increase is attributed to the political attention around “women’s issues” such abortion, contraception and health care.

The sudden focus on contraception and abortion in the 2012 campaign has meant a surge in fundraising for pro-choice groups that support women as congressional candidates.

EMILY’s List — whose mission is to elect pro-choice Democratic women — has raised nearly twice as much for candidates at this point in the 2012 cycle as it did during the entire 2010 cycle, according to spokeswoman Jess McIntosh. And that’s with about eight months to go.

“We are on track to have one of the best first quarters we’ve ever had for candidate fundraising,” said EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock.

It’s a very different landscape than the one Democratic women faced in 2010, when 11 of them were ousted from the House and several were replaced by tea party-backed candidates. Democratic women fared better in the Senate, where moderate Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was the only female Democratic incumbent to lose her reelection bid, but several others had close calls.

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