Raimondo, Brown battle over abortion-rights, gun-control endorsements
Both claim the high ground in the abortion-rights battle. And both tout the equivalent of "honorary mentions" by Moms Demand Action, the advocacy group affiliated with
In mid-June, Brown attacked Raimondo for providing "pro-life" health insurance plans on
Hoping to unseat Raimondo in the September Democratic primary, Brown released a letter endorsing him and criticizing Raimondo that was signed by more than 40 abortion-rights advocates including Steinem;
This week, however, the Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island Political Action Committee went public with its endorsement of Raimondo for reelection. The group cited her advocacy for the passage of legislation enshrining the protections of the landmark abortion-rights decision known as Roe v. Wade in
The announcement by "Planned Parenthood Votes!" said, in part: "
"We need
The announcement contrasts with the image that Brown, a former
Brown's attack on the governor centers on the number of plans that don't cover abortions on HealthSource RI, the state's public health-insurance exchange.
In 2015, facing a lawsuit from a
When the state later required each insurer to offer limited abortion plans at the "bronze," "silver" and "gold" levels, the lawsuit, backed by a Christian legal group, was dismissed.
"HealthSource RI offers 18 plans in the individual market, 12 of which cover abortion services and six of which do not except in very limited circumstances," wrote HealthSource spokeswoman
Campaign spokesman
"I am very pleased to accept the endorsement of
"I am deeply concerned about news of [
On gun control, both the Raimondo and Brown campaign teams trumpeted support from Moms Demand Action. She did so in a press release, and he in an fundraising appeal to supporters.
Raimondo said: "In partnership with Moms Demand, we passed a ban on bump stocks, red flag legislation and took guns out of the hands of domestic abusers in
"Big news," said his fundraising appeal on Thursday. "Today, the great group at Moms Demand Action picked Matt for a Gun Control Candidate distinction. It's a huge honor for us, and a reflection of Matt's dedication to fighting for stronger gun laws here in
"We stand with them, and as Governor, Matt has pledged that he will push harder to limit the sale of military-style guns and hold gun manufacturers accountable for the harm their products inflict ... Chip in
"The goal of the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense candidate distinction program is to identify candidates who have pledged to support common-sense gun safety measures if elected into office ...,"
She added: "While both Brown and Raimondo apparently achieved the accolade, I would point out that Brown has been absent while
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