While pundits insisted that inflation and economic anxiety would likely push voters into the arms of the Republican Party, social issues were on the ballot in this week’s US midterm elections – not just figuratively but also literally, in the form of a handful of ballot measures. And while pro-abortion candidates haven’t won every race, even in Republican strongholds, Americans came out to vote down anti-democratic measures to curtail abortion rights even further.
Voters in both red and blue states reaffirmed their dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court’s wildly unpopular decision to overturn Roe v Wade, a nearly 50-year precedent that had protected abortion access under the umbrella of a constitutional right to privacy.
Despite a strong desire from their voters to see them do so, national Democratic leaders have been unable to codify abortion rights in federal legislation – hamstrung by Republican obstruction and two senators in their own party who refuse to abolish the filibuster in order to allow a progressive agenda to move forward.
