Over the last several years, an intense cultural war has engulfed the United States. Conservatives, progressives, and moderates have clashed. Topics like gender roles, climate change, and others have been placed at the forefront of national politics and utilized by Democrats to galvanize voters and motivate individuals to turn out to the polls. Another issue that has been made a central focus of political campaigns by public officials on the left has been that of abortion. In 1973, abortion was legalized at the federal level after Roe v. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court. In 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Roe was overturned, and the issue returned to the states to be decided.
Moderates, leftists and progressive Democrats at large have successfully exploited this decision to motivate voters and garner broad federal electoral support for their policies and party which may have been unpopular otherwise. Indeed, in the 2022 midterms when many forecasted a poor electoral climate for Democrats, the party did surprisingly well, holding onto the senate, gaining another seat and only losing control of the House of Representatives by a very small margin, scoring a major political victory during a very hostile election cycle.
Republicans have certainly taken notice. In swing states and traditionally blue regions across the nation, the issue has been largely avoided by party candidates and incumbent public servants. Indeed, conservative strategists understand the weight that the issue holds in politics and most certainly are aware that the vast majority of the public does not support the prohibition of abortion. In Arizona, the failed gubernatorial candidate and current Senate candidate Kari Lake openly stated her opposition to a potential federal ban on abortion. Lake cited that the vast majority of the American public does not support such a measure. Additionally, a constitutionalist conservative could cite the 10th amendment and the high court’s recent decision to restore federalism and historic states’ rights.
