Kelly Ayotte campaigns with Glenn Youngkin after his veto of birth control bill

News leaked this week that Republican candidate for New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte is set to campaign and fundraise alongside Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia next month. This comes just days after Youngkin controversially vetoed a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting access to birth control in Virginia, citing “religious freedom” as his justification. The high-priced fundraising event, based in McLean, Virginia, will charge attendees up to $10,000.

Kelly Ayotte’s record mirrors Youngkin’s extreme anti-choice policies. During her tenure in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte led efforts to enact a national abortion ban, supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and opposed funding for Planned Parenthood. She also voted for the Blunt amendment, which would have allowed insurers and employers to deny coverage for services including birth control, abortion, and IVF treatment based on religious objections. Following her Senate defeat in 2016, Ayotte played a pivotal role in the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch, a justice whose vote was central in overturning Roe v. Wade.

Youngkin suffered significant defeats in the 2023 Virginia legislative races after advocating for an unpopular 15-week abortion ban.

Statewide New Hampshire organizations criticized Ayotte for her plans to campaign with a Republican leader who was currently engaged in attacking reproductive rights.

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“Glenn Youngkin and Kelly Ayotte are one and the same. They’re both dangerously anti-choice, determined to take away women’s reproductive freedoms, and support extreme abortion bans that threaten women’s health and safety,” added NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. 

“Kelly Ayotte, her voting record, her campaign for Governor, and her major donors are all 100% aligned in their opposition to abortion rights and contraception access,” said Executive Director Ryan Mahoney of Amplify NH, a statewide advocacy organization and communication hub. “Her embrace of Gov. Youngkin mere days after he vetoed four bills preserving access to contraception and protecting medical providers from prosecution in states like Alabama tells us all we need to know about what she’ll do as Governor.”

Ayotte’s planned fundraiser with Youngkin underscores her alignment with extreme anti-abortion and anti-contraception policies. Youngkin’s vetoes, including the recent one blocking bipartisan legislation to protect contraception access, have drawn widespread criticism. Earlier, he had also vetoed bills protecting medical providers from prosecution in states with restrictive abortion laws.

Youngkin has been clear about his stance on abortion. “Any bill that comes to my desk I will sign happily and gleefully in order to protect life,” he stated at an event celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as reported by the Washington Post. Ayotte played a significant role in confirming the Supreme Court justices who enabled this decision.