California governor Gavin Newsom’s reelection campaign has posted billboard ads in seven red states advertising a California state website that offers information about how to get an abortion in the Golden State.
“You do not need to be a California resident to receive abortion services,” the ad tells women in Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.
“Texas doesn’t own your body. You do,” reads an ad featuring a woman in handcuffs, despite the fact that no pro-life laws punish women who receive abortions.
.@GavinNewsom is sponsoring 18 billboards in 7 states with anti-abortion policies & promoting https://t.co/AxRd6ZhS3d
"Here is my message to any woman seeking abortion care in these anti-freedom states: Come to California.”
Here are some of the billboards in Texas: pic.twitter.com/8w1L8PD90e
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) September 15, 2022
Another says “Need an abortion? California is ready to help” and includes a verse from the Gospel of Mark: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”
The 18 billboards are being funded by $100,000 from Newsom’s reelection campaign, despite the campaign having not paid for a single ad on California TV, the local Fox affiliate in Los Angeles reported.
“We want women to know that we have their backs,” Newsom told the Washington Post. “We care, they matter, and we’re not going to turn our backs on them because they’re from another state.”
“I’m doing this because I’m privileged to be able to do it,” he said. “I’m doing this because I care. I’m doing it because the people that support my candidacy support this. And when many heard about this, they wanted to support additional efforts like it, to be fully transparent with you.”
Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, and Indiana all ban most abortions. Ohio and South Carolina have laws on the books banning abortion after six weeks but both laws have been temporarily blocked in the courts.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem responded to the billboards in a tweet on Thursday: “In South Dakota, we are a destination for FREEDOM and LIFE. Now that you’ve run your billboards in SD, why don’t you get to work cleaning up the human feces on the streets of your cities and turning the lights back on.”
Meanwhile, Newsom previously launched a television ad in Florida on the Fourth of July urging Floridians to “join us in California.”
“Freedom, it’s under attack in your state,” Newsom says over images of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump. “Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors.”
We’re about to celebrate Independence Day — but Freedom is under attack by Republican leaders in states like Florida.
Banning books.
Restricting speech.
Making it harder to vote.
Criminalizing women and doctors.
It’s time to stand up. Don’t let them take your freedom. pic.twitter.com/cFI5UzgZzX— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 3, 2022
He adds: “I urge all of you living in Florida to join the fight. Or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom — freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love.”
“Gavin Newsom might as well light a pile of cash on fire,” DeSantis spokesman Dave Abrams told CNN in response to the $105,000 ad buy.
“Pass the popcorn for his desperate attempt to win back the California refugees who fled the hellhole he created in his state to come to Florida,” he added.
Newsom and DeSantis are both running for reelection in their respective states. Newsom, who survived a recall attempt last year, has said he is not interested in running for president.
Nonetheless, both governors are seen as potential future presidential candidates.