Issue animated conservatives for 50 years but has tormented Republicans since the fall of Roe – and it’s unclear also whether it will continue to fuel Democratic victories

Issue animated conservatives for 50 years but has tormented Republicans since the fall of Roe – and it’s unclear also whether it will continue to fuel Democratic victories

As the 2024 election season ramps up, Republicans continue to struggle to find a winning national strategy on the flashpoint issue of abortion – where restricting the procedure has animated the conservative movement for half a century but tormented the party since the fall of Roe.

The supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade delivered Republicans one of their most significant policy victories in a generation. But in the year and a half since the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the ruling has also become one of their biggest political vulnerabilities.

Over the last 18 months, voters have favored abortion rights in seven consecutive ballot measures, including in conservative states. Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections while Democrats scored off-year election wins in Wisconsin, Kentucky and Virginia – results that again emphasized the enduring power of abortion rights.

Now the presidential election year brings a further huge test.

  • treefrog@lemm.ee
    2·
    9 months ago

    But whether abortion will continue to fuel Democratic victories in a presidential election year is also unclear.

    Despite delivering a long list of anti-abortion victories, voters tend to view the Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, a thrice-married former Democrat from New York, as less socially conservative than his rivals, says Gunner Ramer, political director for the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Pac.

    “Donald Trump likes to stoke culture wars and own the libs but on social issues he’s seen as more moderate,” Ramer said, adding: “If Trump is the nominee, Democrats are in a much trickier position on abortion.”

    Here’s where it was articulated.