Republicans don't want to talk about abortion. In these states, they may have to.
Democrats are prioritizing other issues over abortion in the runup to the fall midterm elections, while Republicans are taking pains to avoid the topic altogether. But another wave of state ballot initiatives to protect a right to abortion could force candidates on both sides to articulate their positions.
Progressive advocacy groups and Democratic strategists are confident that this year’s four abortion rights ballot measures — especially those in Virginia and Nevada — will put vulnerable GOP candidates in the hot seat with voters, 60 percent of whom believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. They also expect the initiatives to boost turnout on the left, especially among younger voters, who are more likely to support abortion access, and help candidates prevail in important state and federal races.
Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democrats’ electoral arm focusing on House races in the mid-Atlantic, is confident that having the measure on the Virginia ballot this fall will fuel the party’s efforts to flip a handful of districts, including those currently held by Republican Reps. Jen Kiggans, Rob Wittman, and John McGuire.
“Every vote matters, and having the referendum could tip the scales,” he said, adding that the DCCC will remind voters that those GOP incumbents have pushed “a dangerous anti-choice agenda” while serving in Congress, citing their votes to restrict abortion access for military service members and veterans and to ban abortion nationwide beginning at conception.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/21/abortion-ballot-referendums-midterms-virginia-nevada-00966386
= new reply since forum marked as read
