Van Ostern's first ad promotes his advocacy for abortion rights
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Jul. 15—CONCORD — Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Colin Van Ostern used his first TV ad to promote the endorsement of Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., and to focus on his past work to secure family planning grant money for Planned Parenthood and other clinics that perform abortions.
The 30-second ad titled, "Live-Saving Win," opens with Van Ostern, a Concord resident, in a New Hampshire kitchen with Kuster of Hopkinton who will retire at year's end after 14 years in Congress.
"When New Hampshire really needs it, Colin stands up," Kuster said.
Van Ostern said he first ran for the Executive Council after it had voted to reject family planning grants for Planned Parenthood.
"We had to restore funding," Van Ostern said in the ad.
Kuster chipped in with, "It got Colin named New Hampshire's champion for choice."
Both Van Ostern and Kuster have gotten this award from the state chapter of the National Abortion Rights Action League.
Van Ostern managed Kuster's two first campaigns for this seat.
A short time after Van Ostern got into the race, Kuster confirmed she was taking sides and backing him.
During Van Ostern's four years on the council, it voted twice to restore those grants and once, in 2015, to reject them.
The rejection came after undercover videos released that year by conservative activists purported to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the illegal sale of fetal tissue.
Then-Councilor and now Gov. Chris Sununu voted against those grants in 2015 and then, after a year's pause, he consistently supported them in the future.
Van Ostern jumped on Sununu's voting record when the two faced off for governor in 2016.
Planned Parenthood spent heavily on Van Ostern's behalf; Sununu narrowly won that race, his first followed by three other election wins.
In 2021, Sununu signed a trailer bill to the state budget that contained language to deny any state spending to providers that performed abortions.
The Republican-led Executive Council has rejected those contracts three straight years for Planned Parenthood and two other abortion clinics over Sununu's objection to those votes.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., led an effort with the delegation to convince the Biden administration to earmark increased federal grants to make up for some of the loss of state family planning money for these abortion providers.
Van Ostern chose to begin his media strategy with this issue after his Democratic primary opponent, former Justice Department executive Maggie Goodlander of Nashua, had come out with her own ad making abortion rights a central theme of her campaign.
Emily's List, the wealthiest financial organization that backing candidates who support abortions rights, has endorsed Goodlander for this seat.
The winner of the Sept. 10 primary will face who surfaces from the 13 running in the Republican primary, a field that includes Lincoln businessman Vikram Mansharamani, former Chinese émigré Lily Tang Williams of Weare, ex-State Rep. Casey Crane of Nashua and commodities trader Bill Hamlen of Hanover.
