Virginia Democrats Pin Fall Election Hopes on Abortion

Democrats are “mobilizing” ahead of this fall’s Virginia state legislature elections, viewing the races as “the next major referendum on abortion rights,” Axios reported on Tuesday. 

Virginia Democrats are reportedly encouraged by the recent failure of Issue 1 in Ohio, where voters rejected a ballot measure that would have made passing a radical abortion ballot initiative in November more difficult. 

“[Issue 1’s failure] showed that abortion is absolutely a motivating factor for voters across the country,” House Democrat Caucus Leader Don Scott told the outlet. “Access to reproductive health care will be the number one motivating factor for the [Virginia] election.”

Just last week, House Democrats launched pro-abortion ads in 14 legislative districts attacking Republicans for wanting to protect the unborn, according to the report. The Majority Protect, the group running their voter turnout operation, said in a memo that its program has hundreds of canvassers already going door-to-door, warning people “about this MAGA threat to abortion.”

Virginia is currently divided, with Democrats holding a majority in the state Senate and Republicans holding the House of Delegates and the governorship. Virginia is also the only southern state that has not banned or restricted abortion since the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade last year. 

“Only a handful of seats in each chamber are deemed competitive by the Virginia Public Access Project,” according to the report. “…The outcome will be critical for Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who had pushed for a 15-week ban in the state and is increasingly seen as a top alternative to former President Donald Trump by some establishment Republicans.”

As for the Republican response, a July memo from the Republican State Leadership Committee said the GOP would focus on education, the economy, and crime, the report states. 

“These three issues are driving enthusiasm among Republican voters and will serve as critical factors in key battleground districts across the Commonwealth,” the memo reads.