Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of Florida allowed a measure to legalize abortion onto the November ballot. At least two other states — Maryland and New York — will have initiatives protecting abortion access on the ballot. And progressive activists in key swing states of Arizona and Nevada are expected to get the necessary number of signatures to put abortion-rights measures onto the ballot this fall.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion rights ballot measures have been successful in six states, ranging from dark red Kansas to purple Michigan and deep blue California. In other words, regardless of the overall political makeup of the state, when voters had the chance to vote specifically on legalizing or codifying abortion rights, those voters sided with the pro-abortion rights side.
But whether these measures will also help President Joe Biden’s prospects in those states is less clear.
At this point, the Biden campaign has three significant challenges:
- An enthusiasm gap among his voters, especially compared with former President Donald Trump's voters;
- A potential defection problem with some
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.