Emily’s List, a national group that supports pro-choice women candidates, has placed Colorado state Rep. JoAnn Windholz, R-Commerce City, on its list of officeholders to defeat this year, the organization told The Colorado Statesman on Friday. The organization cited Windholz’s record of opposing women’s healthcare that includes access to birth control and abortion and her response to the recent deadly Planned Parenthood shooting attack that has rocked the nation over the last two weeks.

“Rep. Windholz is one of the worst when it comes to putting a dangerous and extreme ideological agenda ahead of the interests of Colorado women and families,” said Jessica Post, senior director at EMILY’s List. “She has worked to prevent women in Colorado from accessing health care, while simultaneously voting against commonsense teen pregnancy prevention and family planning programs.

“Her outrageous comments about Planned Parenthood that blame the horrific Colorado Springs attack on the victims themselves make it clear that she will never stand up for Colorado’s women and families. That’s why EMILY’s List is determined to send Rep. Windholz packing in 2016.”

Windholz represents a swing district in Adams County and is up for election in 2016. She didn’t return messages left Friday morning by The Statesman.

Windholz made national headlines for blaming Planned Parenthood for the Nov. 27 attack that killed three and injured nine at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. She called Planned Parenthood the “real culprit” in the tragedy for providing abortions.

“The true instigator of this violence and all violence at any (Planned Parenthood) facility, is (Planned Parenthood) themselves.” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Violence begets violence. So (Planned Parenthood), YOU STOP THE VIOLENCE INSIDE YOUR WALLS.”

Windholz’s remarks drew wide condemnation on the right and the left in Colorado. The Denver Post called them “stunningly crude, callous and incendiary.” The Aurora Sentinel called on Windholz to resign and, failing that, urged Republican leaders to censure her. A recall effort has also formed to unseat Windholz.

Windholz is a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee at the Legislature. Last year she joined fellow Republicans opposing a bill that would have provided $5 million to the state health department to expand a nationally lauded long-acting, reversible contraception program.

Emily’s List might bring a whole new level of pressure. The Washington, DC,-based organization boasts more than 3 million members across the country. It is the largest national resource dedicated to electing women to political office. Emily’s List has been supporting pro-choice candidates since 1985, acting on the theory that making big-money donations early on in campaigns draws more donors to the candidates. (The organization’s name is an acronym of the first part of a slogan used by the group: “Early money is like yeast — it helps raise the dough.”)

The “On Notice” program typically focuses its efforts on congressional campaigns but also takes up state races where abortion politics play a central role. It reports supporting more than 700 candidates for state and local office since 2001.

Emily’s List has appeared to place greater emphasis on state and local races as the abortion-politics battleground and other legislative battles over women’s rights have moved away from gridlocked Washington to state capitals and seems to be paying particular attention to swing states ahead of the 2020 census and redistricting. It has put “on notice” six Minnesota state lawmakers and seven state lawmakers in Nevada.

The organization has also placed Colorado swing-district U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman on its target list.

It’s not clear exactly how being placed “on notice” by Emily’s List will translate on the ground in Colorado. The group will likely buy ads and tap its members to financially support rival candidates to the two Colorado lawmakers.

Democrats John Myers and Dafna Michaelson Jenet are running in a primary for the chance to run for the House District 30 seat represented by Windholz.

— john.tomasic@gmail.com