California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis this week released a new TV ad taking aim at Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance over abortion rights.
Funded by her Super PAC, Californians for Choice, the 30-second TV spot criticizes Vance for comments made in a 2022 interview, in which he said he would “like abortion to be illegal nationally.”
“It’s time to fight for Kamala Harris and all California Democrats, because the women of America are counting on us,” Kounalakis says in the ad.
It’s the third full ad from the Super PAC focused on mobilizing Democratic voters on the issue of reproductive health care and abortion rights, which has become central to the party platform and its efforts to secure Democratic wins up and down the November ballot.
The ad buy will cost between $500,000 and $1 million and is set to air in California on MSNBC, said David Beltran, a political consultant working for the Californians for Choice,
For Democrats across the state, from party leaders to candidates, campaigning on abortion rights is seen as a battle-tested approach after it handed them critical victories in the 2022 midterms and staved off an expected Republican “red wave.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about abortion rights during a news conference Friday, June 24, 2022, in Sacramento.
Kounalakis’ PAC joins a handful of other big spenders seizing on abortion rights in the state ahead of the November elections. Planned Parenthood of California’s independent funding arm launched a multimillion-dollar campaign May, and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Campaign for Democracy PAC has already spent over $3 million this election cycle. Their efforts are also raising their respective profiles, with Kounalakis running for governor in 2026 and Newsom laying groundwork for a possible 2028 presidential bid.
The Democratic House Majority PAC announced a $100 million campaign fund in May focused on abortion rights as well, targeting Republicans in several swing districts across the country.
More: California Democrats bet big on abortion in 2024 election
They are all zeroing in on the same handful of hyper-competitive California districts held by GOP representatives in the Central Valley and Southern California. The targets: Reps. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and John Duarte, R-Modesto, in the Central Valley; Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita; and Ken Calvert, representing Riverside County from Corona to Palm Desert.
Kounalakis unveiled the super PAC in late-May, boasting $4.1 million in latest campaign filings, with most funding from Graton Rancheria, an American Indian federation of tribes based in Northern California. The PAC is actively fundraising and growing a statewide volunteer network, Beltran said.
Deborah Fischer, center, sits with a sign at her feet during a rally outside City Hall in Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, over concerns that the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling of Roe Vs. Wade could be overturned. The landmark decision gave pregnant women a new constitutional right to choose abortion.
It’s estimated 69% of Californians believe abortion should be legal, according to a joint 2023 opinion survey conducted in part by Stanford University. Roughly the same percentage of Californians would either make it easier for residents to obtain an abortion (29%) or leave current law permitting abortion for any reason through 24 weeks as is (32%).
Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California lieutenant governor Kounalakis JD Vance abortion new ad
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