KNOXVILLE — Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood kicked off its campaign to vote out anti-abortion extremists with press conferences across the state, ending in Knoxville Thursday.
“As an adopted child, my biological parents understood the meaning of choice,” said Brian Goldberg, who is seeking the District 18 seat in the State House. “Now, my daughter no longer has that right like her mother before her and my mother before her. I’m running to restore women’s rights and to get the government out of the room.”
Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood is a c4 nonprofit that engages in voter education and endorses candidates. CEO Ashley Coffield explained why flipping seats in the State House is the only path to restoring abortion rights in Tennessee.
“Let’s weigh our options. We can’t have a citizen-led ballot initiative in Tennessee on abortion, because initiatives aren’t allowed in our constitution,” Coffield said. “Advocacy doesn’t work: even after thousands of civil conversations and actual lives at risk, the supermajority won’t budge on abortion. The only solution is to vote them out and send a message, no matter how long it takes.”
This fall, TAPP is investing record dollar amounts in paid canvassing, phone banking and direct mail and digital advertising, all aimed at educating voters on who took their rights away. The campaign will target House Districts 18, 49, 75 and 97, where there are enough pro-abortion rights voters to close the margin.
“It’s going to take new tactics to restore some balance in Tennessee,” said TAPP board member John Spragens. “We just have to flip some seats, because MAGA extremists are a threat to freedom for everyone.”
“This is a critical time for women and girls in Tennessee,” State Rep. Gloria Johnson said. “We live in a state where the supermajority has hindered our public healthcare system. We must protect women and girls in Knoxville, in Tennessee, and across the nation.”
