With a little over a month until Election Day, the race to represent Silicon Valley in the California State Assembly is heating up over a row between the local Planned Parenthood and one of the candidates whom they accuse of misleading voters.
Tara Sreekrishnan, a candidate for California’s 26th assembly district, has been touting her 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte as an endorsement in recent mailers. But the reproductive rights organization is backing her opponent instead and has told her she cannot refer to the rating in her campaign materials — a demand Sreekrishnan plans to defy.
In order to be considered for an endorsement from Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte — the local advocacy chapter that covers 43 counties across California and northern Nevada — candidates are required to have a 100% rating on the group’s questionnaire, which asks about topics such as abortion rights and sexual health education. The rating indicates support for reproductive health and access issues, according to the organization.
Both Sreekrishnan and her opponent, Patrick Ahrens, received perfect marks, but Planned Parenthood opted to endorse Ahrens. The two candidates are running for Assemblymember Evan Low’s open seat, and both currently work in the state legislature. Sreekrishnan is Sen. Dave Cortese’s deputy chief of staff, and Ahrens is Low’s district director.
Candidates who receive the 100% rating but not the endorsement are allowed to advertise it — and many do. But Planned Parenthood said that Sreekrishnan is using it incorrectly and told her that she can’t use it on any paid campaign materials moving forward.
Despite the request, Sreekrishnan’s campaign said that it plans to continue using the rating.
“It doesn’t matter to me if there is some personal politics influencing the local Planned Parenthood endorsement,” Sreekrishnan said in a statement. “I will always endorse Planned Parenthood, because as a woman who survived ovarian cancer, I know firsthand how critical fighting for women’s health is.”
In a recent mailer reviewed by this news organization, Sreekrishnan used the rating, which says “Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte,” under bold capitalized font that says “Endorsed by.” Two other endorsements from the California Nurses Association and the California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus are next to it.
After reviewing the mailer, Ann Ravel, the former Federal Election Commission chair, agrees with Planned Parenthood’s point of view.
“The assumption from looking at this is I think Planned Parenthood has every right to be concerned if they’re not endorsing her,” she said.
Ravel, who also served on the California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, said there’s nothing in the Political Reform Act — the state’s political ethics law — that deals with issues around endorsements.
Sreekrishnan’s ballot statement, which is on her website and is included in Santa Clara County’s voter guide, also lists the Planned Parenthood rating in a list of endorsements.
Lauren Babb, the vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte, said they’ve received multiple complaints about how Sreekrishnan is using her rating. The group has had multiple conversations with her campaign about its use, but Babb said they’ve been unable to “come to an agreement.”
“We are not in a place that the rating is being used appropriately, and we are seeking options so voters know who the endorsed candidate is in the race,” Babb said.
Other non-endorsed candidates across Silicon Valley have put their 100% rating under the endorsements section on their website. But Babb said that’s allowed because they don’t expect candidates to have a separate section of their website for the rating.
“What other candidates are not doing is saying they’re endorsed by us in paid mailers,” she said.
The Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus has come to Sreekrishnan’s defense in the dispute. In a statement, Sen. Nancy Skinner, who serves as the chair of the caucus, called her a “steadfast supporter of Planned Parenthood and a fighter on behalf of defending reproductive justice and the right to an abortion.”
“Tara’s experience as a cancer survivor has given her a unique commitment to ensuring that no woman faces the same challenges alone,” Skinner said. “As women, we must continue to fight for the health care we deserve, and we’re proud to stand with Tara Sreekrishnan in this fight.”
