RACHEL SWEET CAN’T PINPOINT a specific moment or life experience that inspired her to pursue a career fighting for reproductive rights. As a 31-year-old woman, she had always had the right to choose. She grew up in a Kansas City, Missouri, suburb, as part of a politically engaged family that often talked about liberal values. In college, she interned at Planned Parenthood. After graduating, she joined the policy team for Kansas City’s mayor, and part of her work focused on public health issues.
“I don’t have a good story,” Sweet says. “I have never been pregnant. I’ve never had an abortion. I just know lots of people who have had abortions, and I love and care about them.”
She also knows how to win. In 2022, she defeated two anti-abortion ballot measures in traditionally red states—first as the campaign manager of the group credited with successfully toppling an August
