Democrats see abortion issue as defining – and winning – issue in fall election

The earlier version of this story mischaracterized former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s relationship with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s agenda and did not fully include a Hogan campaign response to the Democrats’ criticism of his record. The story has been changed in the 18th, 19th and 23rd grafs.

BY TAYLOR NICHOLS

CHICAGO – Abortion has been a key talking point at the Democratic National Convention, with speeches focused on reproductive rights on every night of the convention. On Thursday night, the center was full of attendees wearing white in support of reproductive rights.

Democratic Party candidates and officials see reproductive rights as a defining – and winning – issue for them in the fall campaign, as it was in the 2022 midterm elections just months after the Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

“When abortion is on the ballot, we win,” Mini Timmaraju, a Maryland delegate and president of Reproductive Freedom For All, told the convention Wednesday night.

She noted that states including Kansas, Ohio and Kentucky – none Democratic bastions – have passed abortion protection ballot measures since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

“And it seems like everyday another state gets added to the list,” she said, referring to Arizona and Montana as the latest states to add abortion access to their ballots in November.

Other states that will vote on abortion rights amendments this fall are Maryland, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.

A Pew Research Center survey in May found that 63% of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Marylanders this fall will vote on the Maryland Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment, also known as Question 1, which would add abortion protections to the state constitution.

The ballot measure “confirms an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom” and provides that the state may not deny or abridge that right.

“Question 1 is really the important insurance policy to make sure you know you’re protected, no matter what,” Timmaraju, of Takoma Park, Maryland, said. “We also know the Trump administration has plans to disregard what states do and try to circumvent states through a national abortion ban. We’re in very, very challenging times. We can’t rely on one strategy to protect rights.”

Health Not Harm MD, an advocacy group opposing Question 1, believes the language in the amendment is too vague and will allow minors to access reproductive healthcare such as abortions without parental consent.

Timmaraju said Maryland could be instrumental in helping to codify Roe nationally by electing Angela Alsobrooks to the Senate.

Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, is running against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for Sen. Ben Cardin’s seat, who is retiring this year.

Maryland Democrats say an Alsobrooks win is critical to keep their majority in the Senate and pass pro-choice legislation. Some think it could be a close race due to Hogan’s popularity as governor.

“I think Angela Alsobrooks is going to do fine, but we have a lot of work to make sure that Hogan doesn’t have a sequel to his governorship,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown told Capital News Service.

Hogan announced he is pro-choice and would sponsor legislation to codify Roe v. Wade in May, but Alsobrooks said his history as governor indicates he’s insincere.

“Whether it be the decision to start a family with the help of IVF, or exercise her reproductive rights, Governor Hogan believes nothing and no one – especially partisan politics – should come between a woman and her doctor,” Hogan campaign spokeswoman Blake Kernen told CNS.

“Governor Hogan’s position on this issue has never shifted – he’s been on the record against abortion bans since 1992,” Kernen said, adding that as a senator “he would sponsor legislation to codify Roe v. Wade as the law of the land, and he looks forward to working across the aisle to do so.”

If Hogan wins, he said he would caucus with Senate Republicans. Hogan does not support Donald Trump, even though the former president endorsed him.

“As long as he doesn’t commit to supporting rules reform like the filibuster, and as long as he’s still committed as a Republican to supporting Mitch McConnell, it doesn’t matter,” Timmaraju told CNS.

Advocates said Alsobrooks has a stronger record of supporting abortion access, citing Hogan’s veto of a bill that would have expanded abortion access in the state in 2022, which Democrats ultimately voted to override.

“Angela, frankly, is a lot more tested and committed to these issues, particularly the Black women’s maternal health, which is huge for Maryland,” Timmaraju said.

Kernan said Hogan did not veto legislation to restrict access to abortions, but rather “he rightly vetoed legislation to allow non-licensed medical professionals to perform abortions because that would have lowered health care standards for women and has always stood up for reproductive health care that is both safe and accessible.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has been a vocal advocate for reproductive choice since the repeal of Roe, and has since made the issue a key component of her bid for the White House.

Johntel Greene, a board member for Reproductive Justice Maryland, said the focus on reproductive rights is energizing the pro-choice movement and engaging new and old advocates.

“I’ve been so excited about the fact that everyone has just been unashamedly talking about it,” Greene said. When she attended the DNC for Hillary Clinton’s nomination in 2016, she said she didn’t remember reproductive rights being mentioned once.

“We are a Catholic state in Maryland, and now every single speaker has given, not just an offhand mention, but a full-throated reinforcement of reproductive rights, reproductive justice and then maternal health,” Greene said.