In a bit of non-surprising news, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota South Dakota Action Fund today swung its support to DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton.

Initally, the organization had supported Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

Like so many other organizations that supported Kelliher before her primary defeat earlier this month, Planned Parenthood made only a slight reference to its earlier endorsement of the House speaker.

“Minnesotans have embraced Mark Dayton’s vision for the state,” Sarah Stoesz, president of the political arm of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement. “He has always been a champion of women’s rights.”

Obviously, Republican candidate Tom Emmer, a staunch foe of abortion, would have received no consideration from the organization. But it’s unclear whether Independence Party candidate Tom Horner, was considered. As a party, the IP tends to take a libertarian view on most social issues, though Horner has downplayed his own views.

In its news release about the Dayton endorsement, Planned Parenthood said a 2009 poll showed that 65 percent of women “in battleground states like Minnesota view Planned Parenthood positively.”

“Women will play a pivotal role in this election and so will the Planned Parenthood Action Fund,” Stoesz vowed in the statement. “We will engage in an aggressive effort to educate voters about Tom Emmer’s abysmal record on women’s health and safety.”