MICHELLE STEEL LIES ABOUT VOTING FOR THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT IN NEW TV AD

Sep

2024

PRESS RELEASE

MICHELLE STEEL LIES ABOUT VOTING FOR THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT IN NEW TV AD

MAGA Rep. Michelle Steel Blatantly Lies To Voters - Again - In Her Second TV Ad Of The Campaign

Garden Grove, CA — Michelle Steel has launched another misleading commercial, this time featuring Sheriff Don Barnes, whose own department is plagued by scandals, including rampant mishandling of evidence – which the Sheriff allegedly covered up – resulting in the OC District Attorney having to drop over 60 criminal charges. But the truth is clear: Michelle Steel has consistently voted against the very protections she claims to support, siding with her political allies instead of standing up for women and survivors. This is just another example of Steel trying to deceive voters while hiding her true record of opposing critical protections for women.

“Michelle Steel voted against the Violence Against Women Act and is now lying to voters,” said Tran campaign manager, Gowri Buddiga. “Michelle Steel co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act twice, and is lying about that too. She’s spent her career undermining protections for women, from voting against closing the boyfriend loophole to opposing funding for domestic violence hotlines. Now, she’s desperately trying to hide her anti-women record with misleading ads. Voters deserve the truth, not more deception from Michelle Steel."

The following is a transcript of the ad along with the facts:

STEEL CAMPAIGN LIE

Crime against any woman is an affront to us all. That's why Michelle Steel has worked tirelessly to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

THE FACTS

In 2021 and 2024, Rep. Steel cosponsored the Life at Conception Act, a bill to enact a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother. In addition, it would eliminate certain medical choices for women, including some cancer treatments and IVF.

STEEL CAMPAIGN LIE

Michelle Steel voted to stop violence against women and support survivors of abuse and assault.

THE FACTS

Steel voted against the Violence Against Women Act that would close the boyfriend loophole, which allows dating partners and stalkers convicted of domestic abuse to still access firearms. It was heavily opposed by Steel’s pals at the Gun Lobby, so she only voted to renew the law after the provision closing the “boyfriend loophole” was removed. In 2021, Steel also voted against The Family Violence Prevention Act, which would reauthorize and modify programs to address domestic, dating, and family violence under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.

STEEL CAMPAIGN LIE

Steel fought to modernize emergency response systems. So help is there when you need it most.

THE FACTS

Steel’s vote against The Family Violence Prevention Act was also a vote against providing $14 million for the National Domestic Violence Hotline and $4 million for a new National Native American Domestic Violence Hotline.

As a reminder since taking office…

Steel co-sponsored a national federal abortion ban TWICE, that includes no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother; voted against the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect a person’s ability to access contraceptives; and voted yes on a bill that would have banned FDA approved Mifepristone nationwide. Despite being called out repeatedly by her challenger, Army veteran and workers’ rights advocate Derek Tran, as well as the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, Steel continues to lie to her constituents about her extreme anti-reproductive rights voting record. Steel voted against the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022, which protects a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. She opposed the Women’s Health Protection Act in both 2021 and 2022. Steel even voted against stronger protections for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
During her time in Congress, Michelle Steel has consistently voted against the interests of her community while relying on funding from Big Oil, gun lobbyists, and anti-abortion extremists. Despite her claims of representing middle-class values, Steel has opposed measures to lower prescription drug costs, including voting against capping the price of insulin. She voted against common-sense gun safety legislation such as raising the age to buy semi-automatic weapons from 18 to 21 and against enhanced background checks– a slap in the face to her constituents who have been devastated by the scourge of mass shootings. Further distancing herself from the needs of Orange County, she voted against a bill to strengthen U.S. competitiveness and bring jobs home, and against the bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th insurrection. Steel’s fealty to the MAGA Right knows no bounds– even going so far as to apologize to GOP supporters for working on a bipartisan bill to condemn hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

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Army Veteran Derek Tran is a DCCC Red To Blue candidate running in California’s 45th Congressional District which encompasses portions of Orange and Los Angeles Counties in Southern California. A majority-minority district, the District has the second largest AAPI population (36.97%) of any Congressional District, and the largest Vietnamese community in the country. President Biden won the current district lines by +6 points and it has a +6 point Democratic registration advantage. It includes all or part of the Cities of Garden Grove, Westminster, Cerritos, Buena Park, Placentia, Hawaiian Gardens, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Artesia, Los Alamitos, La Palma, Brea, Lakewood, and Fullerton, as well as the unincorporated community of Rossmoor.

Use of Derek Tran's military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Dept. of Defense or U.S. Army.