Nancy Keenan (born February 14, 1952) is an American politician, and was from 2015 until 2019 the executive director of the

Montana Democratic Party Montana Democratic Party (MDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Montana and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party as of 2024 is chaired by Robyn Driscoll. The National Committeeman is Jorge ...

. Prior to that, she was elected to several terms in the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House In the event that the parti ...

(1983–1989) and as superintendent of the

Montana Office of Public Instruction The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is the state education agency of Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to ...

(1989–2001). She also served as president of the abortion rights organization

NARAL Pro-Choice America Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America and commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, politics, political action, and advocacy efforts to op ...

from 2004 to 2013.

Biography

Keenan was born in

Anaconda, Montana Anaconda, county seat of Deer Lodge County, Montana, Deer Lodge County, which has a consolidated city-county government, is located in southwestern Montana, United States. Located at the foot of the Anaconda Range (known locally as the "Pintle ...

to Ann and P. J. Keenan. She earned an undergraduate degree in education from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

and a master's degree from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

. Keenan began her career as a special-education teacher before winning election to the

. In 1988 she won the first of three terms as the statewide elected Superintendent of the

. She served until 2000. In 2000, Keenan ran for

Montana's at-large congressional district From 1993 to 2023, Montana was represented in the United States House of Representatives by one at-large List of United States congressional districts, congressional district, among the 435 in the United States Congress. The district was the mo ...

seat in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. She was defeated by Republican

Denny Rehberg Dennis Ray Rehberg (born October 5, 1955) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party. He served as the lieutenant governor of Montana from 1991 to 1997 and as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. Rehberg was the Rep ...

. From 2003-2004, Keenan worked as the Education Policy Director of the organization

People For the American Way People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...

(PFAW). Keenan became president of NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2004. As president, Keenan advocated for access to

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, but she has also attempted to change the nature of the debate around abortion rights issues in the United States. For example, in 2006, she said that while

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

and

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...

people don't agree on

"we should be able to agree that we can reduce unintended pregnancies" by (as a NARAL ad stated) "guaranteeing women's access to

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

, including the 'morning-after' pill, making sure our kids receive honest, realistic

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...

, and increasing support for family-planning services." In a speech presented on the 35th anniversary of

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

, Keenan asked supporters to acknowledge "a woman's right to choose is a morally complex issue, and a lot less black and white than it's been made out to be." She discussed the pro-choice position in terms of moral values. She reiterated the position that reducing unintended pregnancy is a "core moral value" in her speech at the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform an ...

. On August 22, 2012, it was announced that she would be a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. In April 2015, it was announced that Keenan would take over as executive director of the Montana Democratic Party, effective April 20, 2015. ''Washingtonian Magazine'' named Nancy Keenan as one of the 100 most powerful women in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

in 2006. She has appeared on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

and other news broadcasts, and is frequently quoted by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, and other news services.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keenan, Nancy 1952 births American feminists American abortion-rights activists Living people Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Montana State University alumni People for the American Way people People from Anaconda, Montana Superintendents of public instruction of Montana University of Montana alumni Women state legislators in Montana 20th-century members of the Montana Legislature 20th-century American women politicians