Democrats have benefitted politically from the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and Republicans are debating how far to go without triggering an even greater backlash.
One year after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, the issue reverberates almost as strongly as it did in the days immediately following the decision. Personal repercussions continue to affect millions of people. Politically, the landscape has been altered significantly, with little reversal in sight.
In November’s midterm elections, evidence of an altered political landscape was demonstrated again, perhaps most strongly in Michigan. Voters there adopted an amendment to add abortion rights to the state constitution. The result was powered strongly by voters under age 45, who voted 2-1 in favor of abortion rights.
Exit polls showed that a remarkable 45 percent of voters in Michigan said abortion was the single most important issue in their decisions. That electorate put Democrats in control of the state legislature for the first time in 40 years and gave Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who had made protecting abortion rights a signature issue, an easy reelection victory.
She also noted that the segment of the electorate that opposes abortion rights is less energized on the issue than has been the case in the past, a factor that has affected some tests in state elections and could do so similarly in the future.
