Marjorie Dannenfelser | |
Birth Name: | Marjorie Jones |
Birth Place: | Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. |
Education: | Duke University (BA) |
Party: | Republican |
Occupation: | President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America |
Marjorie Jones Dannenfelser is an American activist who is the president of the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an American political organization that seeks to advance anti-abortion women in politics.[1] She was brought into the organization as its executive director in 1993, shortly after its founding by Rachel MacNair.[2]
Pro-abortion rights as a college student, Marjorie Jones was the "pro-choice chair" of the Duke University College Republicans. But a summer spent in a house for interns at The Heritage Foundation changed that, when "group-house drama" erupted over what Dannenfelser called an "inappropriate video". This dispute led to her conversion to Catholicism and a new anti-abortion stance, according to a 2010 Washington Post profile.[3] After graduating Duke, Dannenfelser worked for the Reagan administration.[4]
In the 1990s, Dannenfelser was the staff director of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and worked for U.S. House Representative Alan Mollohan (D-WV), whom the SBA List later worked to defeat in the 2010 Democratic primary.[5] Mollohan was defeated in the primary by Mike Oliverio.
Dannenfelser re-organized the Susan B. Anthony List in 1997, after SBA List founder Rachel MacNair brought her on board as the first experienced political activist to join the group.[2] [6] Soon afterwards, Dannenfelser was joined by Jane Abraham to turn the SBA List away from MacNair's bi-partisan and liberal credo, moving to a Republican Party and conservative-oriented group.[7] Dannenfelser and Abrahama led SBA List until 2006, when Dannenfelser assumed both the chairman and president positions. The organization, headquartered in Washington, D. C., lobbies law-makers, and spends millions of dollars per year supporting candidates.
Dannenfelser endorsed the unsuccessful John McCain 2008 presidential campaign. She supported McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, an anti-abortion politician,[8] noting that McCain alone did not engage the "disaffected" pro-life voter bloc.[9] Dannenfelser called Palin the "poster child" for the anti-abortion cause,[10] though she later said Palin became a "great disappointment".[11] In September 2016, Dannenfelser became Donald Trump's campaign "Pro-Life Coalition" leader.[12]
Marjorie Jones was born, and raised, in Greenville, North Carolina.[13] She grew up as an Episcopalian, and attended Duke University. She married Martin Dannenfelser, who later served as vice president of the evangelical political activist group Family Research Council.[14] They had both worked as Congressional aides in 1990.[15] The two live in Arlington County, Virginia, where they raised five children.[16]