Democrats’ Roe Rage Losing Steam as Republicans Go on Offense
The New York Times reports this morning, “With elections next month, independents, especially women, are swinging to the G.O.P. despite Democrats’ focus on [abortion].” Keeping in mind last week’s caveats, let’s take a look at the latest polls.
NYT/Siena College asked six questions of about 800 registered voters. Their results:
5% of likely voters think abortion is the most important problem facing the country, after the economy (26%) and inflation (18%).
Women were split equally (47%-47%) on voting for Republicans or Democrats, driven by Independents: “In September, they favored Democrats by 14 points. Now, independent women backed Republicans by 18 points.” (Given how enormous a swing that is in one month, a cautious interpretation is advised.)
Harvard-Harris’ latest survey of more than 2,000 registered voters found that voters who said the abortion issue made a difference were about as likely to vote for a Republican as a Democrat. Democrats had a slight edge of only three points.
The Harvard-Harris survey found that voters are equally split on support for/opposition to the Dobbs decision. Polls that do not explain Roe v. Wade – or worse, misinform voters about its impact – have not been very useful in themselves. However, compared to June, this is a five-point drop in support for Roe.
Voters don’t agree about whether state legislatures or Congress should set abortion standards. However, Supreme Court justices setting those standards was the least popular option.
Unlike the June poll, this poll did not ask any questions about gestational limits:
CBS/YouGov also reported the results of their latest battleground tracker survey yesterday: “Democrats have managed to win even more of voters who already prioritize the [abortion] issue…it's just that they haven't expanded the size of that group.”
Reminder: The “Roe Standard” Is Abortion on Demand Until Birth
As Democrats are increasingly asked whether there are any limits on abortion they support, some are falling back on an old tack: declaring support for Roe v. Wade, without further explanation.
In this clip, Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke at first denies supporting abortion up to birth. Then when asked whether he would compromise with Republicans and “tolerate” any limit on abortion, he stammers a bit, then gives the non-answer:
It’s a sham. Under Roe, the United States was one of seven countries in the world to allow elective late-term abortion after five months of pregnancy – right up until birth, in fact.
Furthermore, if pro-abortion Democrats in Congress get their way and pass the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, the national standard will be even more extreme than Roe and no state will be able to abridge it in the slightest to protect unborn babies or mothers.
Pro-life Republicans should not let them get away with it.
Republicans on Offense: Latest Highlights
AZ-Gov: Kari Lake continues to pull no punches, after Katie Hobbs repeatedly dodged questions on CNN of all outlets (host Dana Bash’s facial expression at the end says it all):
GA-Sen: Herschel Walker delivered a strong debate performance against “pro-choice pastor” Senator Raphael Warnock on Friday night, including this mic-drop moment:
Our ground team has made more than 570,000 visits to Arizona voters and 362,000 visits to Georgia voters, including 30,000 visits made by student canvassers on their fall break.
MI-Gov: Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’ll “fight like hell” to prop up the abortion industry. Her opponent Tudor Dixon gave a devastating rundown of pro-woman, pro-life measures Whitmer has vetoed:
Milestone: Pro-Life Students Make Half a Million Voter Visits
Our student canvassers just made their 500,000th visit of the cycle to voters across several battleground states! Overall, our field team has made more than 3,125,000 visits to voters directly at their homes – on track to reach four million by Election Day. We’re thankful for all our canvassers’ dedication to unborn babies and their mothers.
