Activist Who Bragged About Her Abortion at Democrat Convention Won't Run for Democrat Party Chair
National | Steven Ertelt | Dec 21, 2016 | 2:50PM | Washington, DC
The abortion activist who bragged about her abortion at the Democratic Convention where Hillary Clinton was nominated won't run to become the chair of the Democratic Party after all.
NARAL president Ilyse Hogue spoke to the Democratic national convention bragged about the abortion she had. During her convention speech, Hogue claimed the abortion was the "best decision" for her — ignoring whether it was in the best interests of her unborn child to take his or her life. Hogue eventually called the decision a "compassionate" one.
She had considered replacing pro-abortion Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as the DNC chair but today announced she will not run. Despite her decision it is almost certain that the next chair will be a steadfast abortion supporter.
"I believe we need not just a strong party and party leader, but also equally strong leadership outside the party structure," Hogue wrote in a Medium post explaining her decision. "So while we'll look to a new DNC Chair to rebuild the concert hall, we will need lots of leadership from outside the party to help write and perform the music."
As the Washington Post reports:
Hogue's decision leaves the DNC field at five candidates, four of whom are men, and none of whom come from an activist organization. As of Wednesday morning, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Labor Secretary Thomas Perez were seen as the most competitive candidates for the job, trading off endorsements and high-profile interviews. They're joined by New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison and Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Sally Boynton Brown.
Last week, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., passed on the race after flirting with a "flyover country" bid.
As a member of the DNC's platform committee in 2016, Hogue succeeded in getting the party on record, for the first time, in opposition to the Hyde Amendment, language passed by every Congress that prohibits public funding for abortions. At the party's convention in Philadelphia, Hogue herself discussed the abortion she'd had before starting a family — the first time anyone had told such a story from the stage.
"I made the decision that was best for me — to have an abortion, and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community," she said. "… We are the same women at different times in our lives — each making decisions that are best for us."
In her Medium post, Hogue did not endorse any of the five current DNC candidates. She did use language similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an early and key Ellison endorser, about how the party should reform.
"If we are to be the peoples' party, we should double down on processes that encourage participation," Hogue said. "It certainly worked for the platform. Our participatory process resulted in robust — and yes, sometimes acrimonious — debate. As a platform committee member, I couldn't have been more proud of the result: the most progressive and inclusive values statement ever for the Democratic Party. I expect the one four years from now to be even more so."