Women's Rights Factor Into Election Campaigns For Congress, Pa. Governor

As campaigns get under way for elections this spring and fall, many media outlets are examining the policy positions of incumbents and their challengers, including where they stand on reproductive rights and related issues. The following summarizes recent media coverage of races in Pennsylvania and New York.

~ Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.): Specter, who switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2009, faces election challenges from both the left and the right, the New York Times reports. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a two-term House member, is challenging Specter in the state's Democratic primary, set for May. While Sestak "has lagged behind [Specter] in the polls and raised only half the money the senator has," several progressives back Sestak's candidacy, and his presence in the primary "has driven Specter to the left," the Times reports. As he campaigns for re-election, Specter "has to be careful not to alienate Democratic women, who support him for backing abortion rights despite what they view as his demeaning treatment of [Anita Hill] two decades ago in Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation hearings," the Times writes. That issue re-emerged last week when Specter told Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) to "act like a lady" after she repeatedly interrupted him in a radio interview. Specter later apologized for the remark. If he survives the Democratic primary, Specter will face former Rep. Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.), whom Specter narrowly defeated six years ago in a Republican primary (Seelye, New York Times, 1/27).

~ Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.): Reshma Saujani, a hedge fund lawyer, has launched a campaign against Maloney in the Democratic primary, to the dismay of some New York state feminists who have long backed Maloney "for her work on mammograms, equal pay, reproductive rights and violence against women," the New York Times reports. Marilyn Fitterman, a former state president of the National Organization for Women, wrote in an e-mail message to Sujani that she should drop her challenge to Maloney "if you care anything about women's rights." Former vice presidential candidate and Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-N.Y.) also encouraged Saujani not to run, saying, "She's ending her political career before it starts." Ferraro added, "That's not a threat, it's a statement of fact. You don't, if you're a Democrat, challenge an incumbent Democrat who has a position of power to get things done just because you feel like this is something you want to do." According to the Times, Maloney considered a primary challenge against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) but decided against a bid (Halbfinger, New York Times, 1/27).














~ Former Rep. Joe Hoeffel (D-Pa.): Hoeffel officially launched his gubernatorial bid on Tuesday after first declaring his candidacy on Facebook in September 2009, the AP/Lebanon Daily News reports (Jackson, AP/Lebanon Daily News, 1/26). Hoeffel appeared with former NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman on Tuesday at a campaign event in Philadelphia, where she said Hoeffel was the only gubernatorial candidate who would protect women's rights. Hoeffel told the audience, "I stand with all of the women of this state," adding, "You have a constitutional right to privacy that, as governor, I will protect and defend." Hoeffel will compete against three opponents running for the Democratic nomination: state Auditor Jack Wagner, Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. Wagner describes himself as an opponent of current abortion law, while Doherty calls himself "pro-choice, without exception." Oronato said that he personally opposes the procedure but would not work to change state law. Hoeffel has said that, if elected, he would try to amend Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act of 1981 to end certain abortion restrictions (Infield, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/27).


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