Dems pressure Ayotte ahead of vote on Planned Parenthood

Democrats are ramping up the pressure on Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) ahead of a vote in the Senate next week on defunding Planned Parenthood. 

The Republican senator, who is up for reelection in 2016, is facing pushback in her home state, with New Hampshire Democrats linking Ayotte to legislation that would cut off federal funding for the group and redirect it to other women’s health organizations.

{mosads}New Hampshire Democratic Party Communications Director Lizzy Price said that Ayotte and Senate Republicans are trying to “relaunch their attack on women’s health.” 

The comments echo criticism from Democratic leadership in the Senate, where Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused Republicans of launching “an attack on women. Indirectly, it’s an attack on my daughter, my wife, my granddaughters.”

Price added that “from voting multiple times to defund Planned Parenthood to repeatedly affirming bosses’ ability to deny women insurance that covers their full health needs, Ayotte’s out-of-touch positions on women’s health would put a huge economic strain on hard-working New Hampshire women and families.”

Democrats are pushing back ahead of an expected procedural vote Monday on moving forward with legislation that would strip Planned Parenthood of federal funds.

Republicans are unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to overcome that hurdle, however, with Democrats largely disavowing the bill and a handful of Republicans either opposed or undecided. 

While the legislation has gained universal support from Senate leaders, it could put Republicans who are up for reelection next year in Democratic-leaning states, including Ayotte, in a tough position. 

Asked how Ayotte would vote on Monday, Liz Johnson, a spokeswoman for the senator, said Ayotte “doesn’t support using taxpayer dollars to fund a private organization that performs abortions and whose practices should be fully investigated in light of these disturbing videos.”

Ayotte is one of nine Republicans who hasn’t formally backed the legislation. 

Aside from Ayotte, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) haven’t signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, according to Congress.gov, which tracks legislation. 

Collins and Kirk have both signaled that they will vote against the legislation. Meanwhile, Murkowski suggested that she’s undecided and hasn’t yet had time to look at the bill. 

“I have not even had a chance to go to my office all week,” she told reporters Thursday afternoon. “I’ve got an energy press conference … after that I can think about what comes next. … I haven’t been focusing on anything other than energy, energy, energy.”