2 sides of the same coin
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."
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.