Raimondo, Brown battle over abortion-rights, gun-control endorsements

July 07--PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- While it might appear that Gov. Gina Raimondo and her Democratic primary challenger, Matt Brown, are like-minded Democrats on "common-sense" gun control and a woman's right to make decisions about her own body, you might not know that from their endorsement war.

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 Everytown USA that was a frequent presence at the State House this year as lawmakers debated how far to go in limiting access to rapid-fire guns, in the wake of the Las Vegas, Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, shooting massacres.

In mid-June, Brown attacked Raimondo for providing "pro-life" health insurance plans on Rhode Island's Obamacare exchange and touted endorsements from women's rights leaders, including Gloria Steinem.

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; Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America; and Barbara Roberts, a professor at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School and former staff physician at Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island.

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 Rhode Island law, given the uncertainty of what a U.S. Supreme Court might do in the Trump era.

The announcement by "Planned Parenthood Votes!" said, in part: "Gov. Raimondo is committed to passing the Reproductive Health Care Act and protecting the reproductive freedom of Rhode Islanders, including access to safe, legal abortion, from the attacks by President Trump and his allies in Congress.

"We need Gov. Raimondo's strong leadership. The four Democrats who control the Rhode Island General Assembly, all men, refuse to protect reproductive freedom, including access to safe, legal abortion," said Amanda Skinner, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island (PPV!RI). "Their refusal to act in the 2018 General Assembly session place them closer to Donald Trump than to the platform of the Democratic Party they lead."

The announcement contrasts with the image that Brown, a former Rhode Island secretary of state (2003-07) who resurfaced on the political stage this year, has tried to paint of Raimondo. Both note that Rhode Island received an F rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2016, a reflection of the lack of protections for abortion in the state's laws.

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 Rhode Island man who objected to HealthSource's lack of plans without abortion coverage, the exchange began offering a plan with abortion coverage limited to only extreme circumstances, such as rape or incest.

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 Kyrie Perry in an email to The Journal in June about the breakdown of plans on the exchange. "According to the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2016, 31 states have no plans that cover abortion on their marketplaces."

Campaign spokesman Ron Knox said Brown would push for legislation to scale back anti-abortion plans to the single plan required by federal law.

"I am very pleased to accept the endorsement of Planned Parenthood," Raimondo said in a statement earlier this week. "We need to continue working every day to protect access to health care for Rhode Island women and families...

"I am deeply concerned about news of [Supreme Court] Justice Kennedy's retirement. A Trump Court is a threat to women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, working families, immigrants and the American Dream."

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 Rhode Island. Next, we'll push for a ban on assault weapons."

"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 Rhode Island."

"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 $39 or more today to help Matt win in September and fight for stronger gun laws in Rhode Island!"

"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 ...," Kate Coyne McCoy, a Rhode Island lobbyist for the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, explained Friday. "The distinction is not an endorsement."

She added: "While both Brown and Raimondo apparently achieved the accolade, I would point out that Brown has been absent while Governor Raimondo has been a strong solid voice and supporter of common sense gun safety bills. We would not have passed Red Flag or last year's [bill to disarm domestic-abusers] without her support and effort."

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