Democrats plan to emphasize abortion in the midterms. Republicans plan to 'change the topic.'
As the Senate prepares for an all-but-doomed Wednesday vote to codify federal abortion rights into law, it seems two clear Roe v. Wade messaging strategies have emerged ahead of midterms: Democrats will push the issue of reproductive rights to energize their base, while Republicans will work to reframe the conversation.
White House officials, for example, are "seizing" this opportunity to try and salvage Democrats' chances in November, Bloomberg reports. They hope an abortion rights-related voting push will resonate with suburban women, minorities, and young voters, who could prove instrumental in helping the left hold onto its majorities.
As Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty argued last week, with abortion rights up in the air, "Democrats finally have something they have lacked in this perilous midterm election year: a compelling message."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is encouraging Republican candidates to "change the topic from abortion rights overall to less-popular facets of the issue where Republicans feel they can win," Politico writes.
Such guidance appears to echo what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told members in the wake of last week's leaked Supreme Court draft opinion. On Tuesday, McConnell advised GOP lawmakers to instead focus any comments on the bombshell opinion on the leak itself, particularly if they felt uncomfortable speaking on the substance of the document, Politico previously reported.
The court's official ruling on the matter is expected to be handed down sometime in June.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Can the BBC weather the impartiality storm?Today's Big Question MPs’ questions failed to land any ‘killer blows’ to quell the ‘seismic outrage’ faced by the BBC
-
The age of criminal responsibilityThe Explainer England and Wales ‘substantially out of kilter with the rest of the world’, says filmmaker whose drama tops Netflix charts
-
Spiralism is the new cult AI users are falling intoUnder the radar Technology is taking a turn
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
