Pro-choice Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., is widely considered to be among the Senate’s most vulnerable Democratic incumbents this cycle, but Planned Parenthood appears to have left her race off its list of spending targets.
The same day CNN listed McCaskill’s seat as the most likely to flip from Democrats to Republicans, Planned Parenthood announced the first round of states set to benefit from a $20 million spending dump on behalf of pro-choice politicians this year. Missouri was not on the list, nor was North Dakota, where Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is facing a tough battle against Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. As the Washington Examiner reported Thursday, the $20 million will be spread across Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, funding advertisements and door-to-door campaigning.
Perhaps Planned Parenthood is keeping its distance to protect McCaskill and Heitkamp, whose voters may be less inclined to support lawmakers affiliated with the controversial organization. On the other hand, it could signal the group’s perception that both races are bad bets.
Their absence in Missouri is especially odd given that McCaskill was catapulted to victory in 2012 after Todd Akin’s infamous comment about abortion and “legitimate rape,” putting the topic front-and-center as she battled to keep her seat.
Either McCaskill is a lost cause, or Planned Parenthood recognizes their help would only make it harder for the senator to convince voters she’s a centrist, despite her previous support for their work. Both possibilities should be cause for concern.
