Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nebraska Legislature Nears Super-Majority That Could Ban Abortion
AP: With New Senator, Nebraska Abortion Opponents Gain Ground
Abortion-rights opponents inched closer to a filibuster-proof super-majority in the Nebraska Legislature on Tuesday that would let them outlaw the procedure if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark legalization ruling, as it appears poised to do. Nebraska lawmakers were two votes short this year on a bill that would have automatically banned abortions if the court gives states that power. (Schulte, 6/8)
The Hill: More Voters Than Ever Say Abortion Will Be Important Factor In Elections: Gallup
More registered voters now say candidates must align with their views on abortion to win their vote than at any time during Gallup’s polling on the issue, according to a new survey. Twenty-seven percent of registered voters in the Gallup poll released on Monday agree that candidates must share their views on abortion to receive their vote, the highest percentage recorded by the survey giant, which first asked voters about abortion issues in 1992. (Dress, 6/6)
Where do candidates stand on abortion? —
Politico: Abortion Access Could Soon Be Decided By The States. Here’s What The Next Governors Say
Washington won’t determine the landscape if the Supreme Court upends the current national order on abortion — it will be up to each state and their governors and legislators to set abortion policy within their borders. That has piled new policy pressure on this year’s most competitive gubernatorial races, where most Republican and Democratic candidates have polar opposite views on abortion and the winners will have broad latitude to set policy in states where their party also controls the legislature. POLITICO sent a five-question survey to leading gubernatorial candidates in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan — asking candidates to explain where they stand on one of the most contentious issues of the 2022 midterms. (Montellaro, 6/8)
San Jose Spotlight: San Jose Mayoral Candidate Catches Heat Over Endorsement
Two Democratic institutions in Santa Clara County are taking last-minute punches at a contender in the San Jose mayor’s race. Both groups are zeroing in on support he’s received from a conservative organization and questioning his stance on abortion. The Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee recently adopted a resolution calling on San Jose mayoral candidate and Councilmember Matt Mahan to renounce an endorsement he received from the Silicon Valley Association of Republican Women—an organization that has hosted speakers who expressed support for political violence and spread misinformation about COVID-19 treatments, according to the chair of the county’s democratic party. (Wolfe, 6/7)
Raleigh News & Observer: NC Candidates On Abortion Positions If Roe V Wade Overturned
Candidates running in this year’s U.S. Senate race and in each of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts would be able to draft and vote on possible federal legislation related to abortion. And at the state level, lawmakers in the state Senate and House could pass legislation restricting or banning abortion within North Carolina if the Supreme Court lifts the federal protections of Roe. As part of our Voter Guide for the statewide primary elections on May 17, we asked all candidates running in contested primaries for Congress and the state legislature in five Triangle counties what should happen if the Supreme Court overturns Roe. Questionnaires went to candidates in Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties; they were not sent to candidates who are not on the primary ballot. (6/7)
Axios: Washington State Democrats Plan To Hit GOP Candidates Hard On Abortion
Abortion rights are most likely safe in Washington state, but Democrats here still plan to focus heavily on the issue in this year's midterm elections. Why it matters: Democrats have been preparing to lose seats this fall in both Congress and the state Legislature. Now, they believe outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade could help mobilize liberal voters, possibly preventing some of those losses. What they're saying: State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, who chairs the state House Democratic Campaign Committee, told Axios, "I think the 2022 election is going to be a referendum on reproductive freedom." (Santos, 6/6)
The Nevada Independent: On The Record: Where Do Top Candidates Stand On Abortion?
Though abortion rights in the Silver State have been protected by state law for more than 30 years and are unlikely to shift based on the Supreme Court decision, the outcome of the state’s congressional and Senate and gubernatorial elections will likely have implications for abortion protections at the federal level and contraceptive access. To help readers discern where candidates fall on various issues of abortion access, The Nevada Independent sent out the following list of questions to candidates in the U.S. Senate, congressional and gubernatorial races. (Mueller, Calderon and Golonka, 5/29)
Anchorage Daily News: Q&A With Alaska U.S. House Candidates: What Is Your Position On Abortion?
The Anchorage Daily News asked candidates for U.S. House running in the special primary election to answer a series of questions. Read all of their responses here. What is your position on abortion? (5/15)
The Washington Post: Stacey Abrams, A Prominent Champion Of Choice, Once Opposed Abortion
Today, Stacey Abrams, 48, is unequivocal in her support of abortion rights: “For me, the conversion was slow, but it was true and it remained. Because fundamentally, the answer is that this is a medical decision and it is a personal decision. And in neither of those two instances should there be any intervention by a politician.” ... [But] Abrams was still firmly against abortion in the early 1990s, when she attended Spelman College, the historically Black women’s school in Atlanta. Then a conversation with a close friend who worked for Planned Parenthood prompted her to reconsider her beliefs. “When I gave a reflexive answer to something she said about working there, she engaged me. She said, ‘Tell me what you think,' ” Abrams recalled. “I fell back on a religious argument, but we both had very strong religious values and she really pushed back and had me think about what I was saying and what that meant.” (Williams, 6/8)
