Issue animated conservatives for 50 years but has tormented Republicans since the fall of Roe – and it’s unclear also whether it will continue to fuel Democratic victories
As the 2024 election season ramps up, Republicans continue to struggle to find a winning national strategy on the flashpoint issue of abortion – where restricting the procedure has animated the conservative movement for half a century but tormented the party since the fall of Roe.
The supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade delivered Republicans one of their most significant policy victories in a generation. But in the year and a half since the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the ruling has also become one of their biggest political vulnerabilities.
Over the last 18 months, voters have favored abortion rights in seven consecutive ballot measures, including in conservative states. Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections while Democrats scored off-year election wins in Wisconsin, Kentucky and Virginia – results that again emphasized the enduring power of abortion rights.
Now the presidential election year brings a further huge test.
They have spent decades packing courts with ideologically aligned judges
Bit of an exaggeration. The Federalist Society is actually a fairly recent phenomenon, historically speaking.
Assuming the shenanigans are what you’re talking about, and not the basic principle of conservatives appointing other conservatives when they are in charge. Which, I mean, wtf do you expect? That’s not exactly any kind of cleverness.