Groups are collecting signatures to put the issue onto the ballot, which could be a bellwether topic for the 2024 election, threatening Republican candidates, many of whom, since the reversal of Roe v Wade, have either passed or supported the passage of laws restricting or banning abortion. Recent survey data shows this was the top political issue last election cycle, particularly among young voters, with three-in-four believing abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In the 2022 midterm elections, abortion won big on ballot measures, solidifying its popularity among the general public. Earlier this month, voters in the reliably conservative state of Ohio voted to amend the state’s constitution to legalize abortion, along with various healthcare provisions, including contraception, fertility treatment, and miscarriage care. “We’ve already seen the power of direct democracy in seven states where campaigns to protect or restore abortion rights won resoundingly,” Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood, a group closely involved in state efforts to expand abortion rights, told NBC News. “Across the country, voters are eager to fight the tide of anti-abortion policies pushed by politicians.” Following the “Yes” vote on Ohio’s abortion ballot initiative, a conservative television host sounded the alarm over GOP messaging, warning that failure to address the issue’s support among the electorate could result in Republicans getting crushed in 2024 elections. “If Republicans don’t get abortion messaging right or refuse to move to the center on that issue, next November will be a red wedding, not a red wave,” Tomi Lahren said. “Shriek all you want about pro-life and that’s fine, but strict abortion ban policies will lose elections. That’s the cold hard truth.” Eyeing a potential strategy for victory, Democrats are now trying to make abortion central to the 2024 election cycle, including in key battleground states, as NBC detailed. Two unnamed sources who spoke with Rolling Stone said the campaign of former President Donald Trump, who maintains a roughly 50-point lead over intra-party rivals less than two months before the first primary election, is planning an attempt to run as a moderate on abortion, a strategy blasted by Democratic critics. “It’s a complete joke," Patt Dennis, president of the Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, told Rolling Stone. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students For Life of America, harshly criticized Trump, stating she and her group were “not looking for ambivalence in those we support. We understand that we are at the beginning of a fight, and not the end.”Following huge success in two consecutive election cycles, pro-abortion advocates are now prepping abortion ballot measures in nine more states next year.
As chronicled by NBC, the states being targeted for abortion ballot initiatives next year are Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, New York, and Colorado.
