Ethan Corson's Planned Parenthood endorsement outrages Cindy Holscher supporters

This one is such a surprise that it strikes even true believers as an example of what turns people off about politics.

By Melinda Henneberger

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher

I first heard from a longtime supporter of both Kansas State Sen. Cindy Holscher and Planned Parenthood that she and others were furious that the group had endorsed Holscher’s Democratic gubernatorial rival, Kansas State Sen. Ethan Corson: Though they vote the same way, it’s Holscher who has the more robust record on speaking out and working on reproductive issues.

This supporter was not overstating the outrage: The comments on Planned Parenthood’s Facebook announcement of the endorsement were almost universally negative when I looked on Tuesday: “Why, just why?” “I struggle to understand this endorsement.” And “I will stop all donations I send to you.”

OK, everyone wants the stamp of approval for their candidate. But this one cut deep because it seemed such a betrayal of Planned Parenthood’s own values, supporters I talked to said.

And as one Planned Parenthood Facebook commenter pointed out, this seemed less an endorsement of Corson’s record than of his cash on hand: “It’s a bummer these endorsements are clearly to chase the money,” wrote Jocelyn Shea Bennett. “I think one of the big lessons we are learning right now is that we shouldn’t be electing the richest contestant. It’s not a game show.”

A spokeswoman said Emily Wales, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, would get back to me on why the group sees Corson as the better candidate and would answer my other questions, all of which I detailed. That did not happen, but I did receive this emailed statement from Jillian Fisher, the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes:

“At a time when so much is on the line for our state and country, we recognize the importance of our organization endorsing a candidate who we believe will best protect our constitutional rights at stake. As with every endorsement, our Board of Directors follows a thorough process – same as it has been for years – including a questionnaire, interview and deliberations to reach a decision. This endorsement was no different, and the Board took their responsibility seriously to identify the candidate they believed would bring meaningful progress to carry Kansas forward. We are proud to have endorsed Senator Ethan Corson because we believe he is the candidate that will bring together a broad coalition of Kansans to continue to build a future where everyone can access essential health care.”

I do not think that statment is going to make anyone less upset; on the contrary.

Corson’s rabbi interviewed Holscher for endorsement

When I called Holscher, she said the endorsement process was itself “kind of weird” because one of the two people who interviewed her by Zoom for the endorsement was Doug Alpert, who has been Corson’s rabbi.

When I reached Alpert, he said that’s why he had recused himself from actually voting on the endorsement. “I like both of them, I spoke positively of both of them, and because of this perception I abstained.”

Obviously, that was the right thing to do. But it still seems odd to have had him involved in the process in this way.

There was another board member on the call, but Holscher said the only other person she saw was a Planned Parenthood staff member. Alpert is chair of the group’s advocacy committee, and as such, along with the other board member, conducted the interviews with both Corson and Holscher.

Holscher said that when she first announced her gubernatorial run and went to Alpert seeking his support, he told her he was waiting to see if Corson, whose two sons he had circumcised, would be getting in the race. So when she saw it was Alpert whose questions she’d be fielding, she was taken aback. He has not endorsed in the race.

After this piece ran, Planned Parenthood said in its email to me that “when Rabbi Alpert disclosed his relationships with both candidates, he did share he performed the Bris for both of Senator Corson's children,” and that Holscher had come to him seeking his support.

“For readers,” the email said, “I think it's important to contextualize the Bris as a religious ceremony in line with their faith vs merely a procedure.” I believe most readers know what a bris is, but duly noted.

A 2018 profile of Corson in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle says, “Corson and his wife belong to Congregation Kol Ami. They like the social justice focus of the congregation and the work that Rabbi Doug Alpert is doing.”

Holscher said that when Wales called to tell her that the group was endorsing Corson, she asked why and was told that he had raised more money. She said she argued that they were not that far apart in fundraising, especially in in-state donations.

Planned Parenthood did not answer my question about the role fundraising played in the decision.

But to me, there’s something fundamentally wrong with picking the person with the most money, if that’s what happened.

When I was on the editorial board at The Star, people made fun of us on those occasions when the candidates we had chosen lost, as if we hadn’t known what the money said when we made our choices. It would have been a lot easier and less time-consuming to have gone with the biggest fundraisers — not all of whom win, by the way — but what would be point be?

‘It’s been a hard day’

None of the Holscher supporters I talked to about the endorsement had a bad word to say about Corson. For the most part, their problem was how and why her long history of hard work on reproductive issues could have been so undervalued.

“He seems like a nice guy, but she’s introduced bills on reproductive health. She speaks out” and knocked on so many doors in opposition to the 2022 abortion referendum, said Christy Allen, a reproductive rights activist who said she has called Planned Parenthood twice to express her displeasure. “I have been a Planned Parenthood supporter,” she said, “and now they can kiss that goodbye. This is backdoor, and has nothing to do with the track record or qualifications of the candidates. Shame, shame, shame.”

“I’m sure Ethan votes the right way, but Cindy is a champion for the Planned Parenthood issues,” said Susan Fitzgerald, a retired teacher who has written to the group, too. “What I’m continually learning about politics is that there’s a lot of backroom wheeling and dealing that people aren’t aware of, and this confirms it. Either dual endorse or stay out of it! Annually, we give a tidy sum” to Planned Parenthood. “We’ve already given for this year, but I don’t like this, and will rethink going forward.”

“It’s been a hard day, a very hard day,” said Shabina Kavimandan, who lives in Johnson County. “She’s been pushing so hard against all of the bad bills. When I was trying to make sense of it today, I went back to stories about their announcements, and she talked about” reproductive rights. “There are lots of emotions. I’m sad about the system, and how it all played out.”

Every person and group is, of course, free to endorse any candidate.

But this one really is such a surprise that it strikes even true believers as an example of what turns people off about politics — and why so many pay no attention to most endorsements.