Democrats plan $100M abortion rights campaign in bid to regain House majority

Democrats’ House Majority PAC is planning a $100 million investment in advertising and voter mobilization focused on abortion rights as many in the party look to the issue to energize voters and win back control of the lower chamber in November.

The Reproductive Freedom Accountability Fund will be spent in swing districts nationwide, according to a new memo, and work to increase voter outreach in key House races where there aren’t competitive presidential or Senate primaries on the ticket.

The super PAC pointed to abortion’s success as an energizing issue for voters during the midterms that they said helped Democrats to stave off an anticipated red wave in the 2022 midterms. They stressed that threats to abortion rights are even more salient this cycle and that Democrats need to remind voters of the issue.

“In the fight to win the majority in 2024, HMP will create a stark contrast for voters: Democrats are working to grow the economy and lower costs for American families while Republicans are obsessed with banning abortion and ripping away American freedoms,” the memo read. 

“The GOP’s inability to see that the majority of Americans disagree with their attempts to rip away rights will be advantageous to Democrats.” 

The new fund includes $85 million on paid messaging in areas “where reproductive freedom will be a critical issue,” including Denver, Portland, Ore., Los Angeles and New York City. 

Another $10 million will go to support voter registration and mobilization campaigns — including mail and digital advertising, door-to-door canvassing and peer-to-peer texting — in places like New York, California and Oregon, where there are a number of races that could help determine the House majority.

Democrats have leaned in on abortion nationwide as they seek to rev up a base that’s appeared apathetic about a Biden-Trump rematch and frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the economy and the Israel-Hamas war.

Republicans hold a tiny 217-213 majority in the House, with five seats currently vacant.

The majority could come down to just a handful of key races this fall. Twenty-two races are rated toss-ups by Cook Political Report. Those races are evenly divided between seats now held by Republicans and Democrats.