Overview: A devoted activist for women’s health and reproductive rights, Naomi Aberly is a talented fundraiser and longtime friend of the Democratic Party. Though she doesn’t cut large checks to national party funds, she consistently supports Democrats running for office, and at one point, was vice chair of the DNC’s finance committee.
Location: Boston, MA
Total Donated (2016-2020): $1,556,700
Top Recipients: Planned Parenthood, American Bridge 21st Century
Key Issues: Women’s Health, Reproductive Rights
Largest Donation to Date: $250,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes
Profile Main Body: Naomi Aberly is a leading fundraiser and donor for women’s rights issues, and a longtime ally to the Democratic Party. She formerly served as chair of the board for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, also serving on the group’s Action Fund—the political wing. Married to hedge fund manager Larry Lebowitz, Aberly also frequently donates to Planned Parenthood on top of her work for the organization. When she lived in Dallas, Aberly also helped launch Annie’s List, a Texas-based political group working to elect progressive women to office, and co-chaired Wendy Davis’ unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign. Her other former board positions include serving for Patriotic Millionaires, a big-money group seeking to reduce wealth inequality.
Aberly is well known for her fundraising skills. She was among President Barack Obama’s top bundlers ahead of his re-election victory, raising more than $1.1 million for his campaign effort—which earned her a job as vice chair of the DNC’s finance committee. The DNC also recruited her for a special committee to conduct a post-mortem on the Democrat’s disappointing 2014 midterms. Her donor record shows two decades of consistent giving to Democrats running for office, focusing on Texas at first, but lately spanning races across the country. Now living in Boston, she continues to cut her largest checks to Planned Parenthood’s various wings but has given more modestly to national liberal PACs. Ahead of the 2018 midterms, Aberly gave $10,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, making a handful of smaller gifts to lesser-known PACs—she’s given about $250,000 total in her life to the DNC. So far in 2020, she’s given $38,300 to Biden Victory Fund and $200,000 to the anti-Trump group Pacronym.
Ideological Vibe: Progressive liberal. Aberly is a reliable donor for Democratic candidates and former member of the DNC, but she’s not as personally invested in the party as her liberal donor peers are. Her records show she rarely cuts large checks out to the party’s campaign funds and reserves most of her bundling energy for women’s health issues.
Hits and Misses: Aberly got some of her earliest national press for her success bundling for Obama’s reelection campaign, though she wasn’t nearly as invested in 2016. Her biggest loss came when she served as co-chair of Wendy Davis’s gubernatorial campaign, which lost badly to Greg Abbott. As a donor, Aberly isn’t shy about contributing to challengers and her wins and losses are about 50-50.
Looking Forward: In the 2020 cycle, Aberly has continued her giving to a variety of Democrats running for office around the country, but her gifts to national campaign funds are still modest. She recently left her position at Planned Parenthood, and it’s unclear exactly what’s next for Aberly, but expect her to continue working on women’s health and supporting Democrats.
Relationships: Planned Parenthood—Former Board Chair
Contact Information: N/A