Naomi Aberly is a left-of-center activist best known for chairing the board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). She is an activist donor for a number of left-of-center and liberal PACs and candidates for public office. Aberly also sits on the board of directors for State Innovation Exchange, an organization which opposes free-market policies at the state level. Aberly also served on the National Finance Council for President Barack Obama, and as a council member for pro-abortion-rights PAC Emily’s List.

Personal Life and Background

Aberly is a graduate of Amherst College and the spouse of hedge fund manager Larry Lebowitz.¹ Aberly and Lebowitz have resided in the Dallas area; they owned the landmark Beck House valued at approximately $20 million for a time and hosted President Barack Obama there on multiple occasions.²

Planned Parenthood

Naomi Aberly is the chairperson of the board for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). The PPFA is the largest provider of abortions in the United States and also offers reproductive health services and screenings. Aberly has been especially active in using the Planned Parenthood organization as a means to speak out against the Trump administration and its stance against abortion. Aberly organized a gala named the “Celebration of Choices,” that took place in Boston to raise money for advocating legislation “that would give teens access to abortion services without requiring parental consent.” Aberly previously served as a member of the board of directors for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the lobbying arm of the organization.³

Election Campaigns and Fundraising

Aberly has provided services for a number of election campaigns for public offices. Most notably, she served as a member of the Obama for America National Finance Committee in both of President Obama’s election campaigns. Aberly earned herself a spot as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee following her work for President Obama. Aberly also fundraised for Hillary Clinton during her unsuccessful presidential election campaign in the 2016 cycle. Aberly also served as co-chair for Wendy Davis’s failed run for Governor of Texas in the 2014 election.⁴

Annie’s List

Aberly is a founding member of Annie’s List, a Texas-based organization which aims to elect women to public office who will push legislation in favor of more lenient abortion laws. Aberly has served as a member of the board of directors for the organization since its founding in 2003. Aberly has made a large number of donations to the organization since its inception and has been one of its most substantial funders. The organization is inspired by EMILY’s List, an organization which has similar goals regarding electing women to public office and pushing pro-abortion legislation.^{5 6}

Battleground Texas

Aberly serves as a member of the board of directors for Battleground Texas, a left-of-center PAC which aims to elect Democratic candidates to congressional seats in the state. Aberly has made large monetary donations to the PAC for a number of years. The organization is open with its extreme liberal goals with its website saying, “Battleground Texas is a local effort with national implications. With our 38 electoral votes, once Texas goes blue, a Republican can never make it to the White House again.” Aberly has been a member of the board of directors for the organization since 2015.⁷

Political Donations

Aberly has made numerous large donations to a variety of left-leaning and liberal PACs. Since 2017, Aberly has donated $775,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes, the PAC associated with Planned Parenthood which is one of the largest advocates for abortion rights in the US. She has also made donations to PACs such as the Giffords PAC, a left-of-center PAC which aims to elect supporters of gun control to Congress; Ultraviolet PAC, a left-of-center PAC which focuses on feminist issues; and American Bridge 21^st Century, a broadly liberal PAC which donates based on a number of causes. ⁸

Aberly has also made a number of individual contributions to candidates running for Congress and recent presidential candidates. She made a $2,700 donation to Gillibrand 2020, the PAC associated with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who made an abortive run for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 Presidential election. Aberly also made donations to Democratic Senators and Representatives, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).⁹

1. “AmHERst Alumnae Series.” Programs & Services | AmHERst Alumnae Series | Amherst College. Accessed November 19, 2019. https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/our-community/wgc/programs-services/amherst-alumnae-series.
2. Kimbel-Sannit, Arren. “The Only Dallas House Designed by Architect Philip Johnson Is Back on the Market – at a Discount.” Dallas News. Dallas News, August 24, 2019. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2018/06/25/the-only-dallas-house-designed-by-architect-philip-johnson-is-back-on-the-market-at-a-discount/.
3. “Record $500K raised for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts advocacy fund.” Anne Gerard-Flynn. Accessed November 10, 2019. https://www.masslive.com/living/2019/04/record-500k-raised-for-planned-parenthood-league-of-massachusetts-advocacy-fund.html.
4. “AmHERst Alumnae Series: Naomi Aberly.” Amherst.edu. Accessed November 13, 2019. https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/our-community/wgc/programs-services/amherst-alumnae-series.
5. “AmHERst Alumnae Series: Naomi Aberly.” Amherst.edu. Accessed November 13, 2019. https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/our-community/wgc/programs-services/amherst-alumnae-series.
6. “What We Do.” Annie’s List. Accessed November 13, 2019. https://annieslist.com/about/what-we-do/.
7. “About Us.” Battleground Texas. Accessed November 13, 2019. https://www.battlegroundtexas.com/about-us/.
8. “Naomi Aberly: Donor Detail.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 12, 2019. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2018&id=U0000003904&type=I&super=N&name=Lebowitz%2C+Naomi+Aberly.
9. “Individual Contributions: Aberly, Naomi.” FEC.gov. Accessed November 12, 2019. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=naomi%20aberly.