A new Wall Street Journal poll revealed that 89% of Americans want abortion to be legal in some form and that abortion is the issue most motivating people to vote.
According to the survey, 60% of voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from 55% in March. Another 29% said it should be illegal, except in cases of rape, incest, and when the woman’s life is endangered, compared with 30% in March. And 6% said it should be illegal in all cases, down from 11% in March.
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More than half of voters said the ruling made them more motivated to vote in the midterm elections.
Asked broadly about their top issue for the midterms, voters cited the economy and inflation first, followed by abortion. But when offered a choice of five issues and asked which made them most likely to vote, they put the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade ahead of inflation.
The Question Motivating The Midterm Election Has Shifted On Republicans
The Wall Street Journal poll has done the best job so far of showing the shift in the midterm election. Voters still care about inflation, but they care about the loss of individual rights and the potential killing of women more.
The problem that Republicans have on the issue of choice is that they can’t claim to be the party of small government and individual liberty while also being the party of big government taking fundamental liberty away from a majority of the population.
Banning abortion means that the government gets to decide on access to healthcare services. The notion flies in the face of everything that the Republican Party claimed to stand for, and voters are noticing.
The midterm election shifted away from Republicans because the central question of the midterm changed.
Republicans have hundreds of millions of dollars in ads about Biden and inflation ready to air, but a majority of the electorate is being motivated by abortion.
The GOP is out of step with voters, and the result could be that instead of a red wave, Republicans will face a mixed bag or a defeat on election day.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
