Democrats are running on abortion everywhere -- even in Kentucky
It was once unthinkable for a Democrat running statewide in a red state like Kentucky to win on abortion. Now, in the final stretch of a campaign to defend the governor’s mansion, Democrats are betting hard that they can ride it to victory.
The investment in abortion rights messaging comes after Democrats have seen the issue deliver for them electorally again and again — especially after a blowout victory in conservative-leaning Ohio in a proxy war over abortion rights just last month.
Kentucky’s Democratic governor is laying into his opponent about the deep-red state’s strict abortion ban. Virginia Democrats are re-running a message that failed them two years ago. And an Ohio ballot initiative is trying to codify abortion rights in a state President Joe Biden lost by eight points.
The ads home in on a message Democrats successfully used last year, and tailors it even more sharply to try winning voters over who may have not been moved in the past: limited access to abortion is no longer a theoretical issue. Many of the ads focus on real stories, including from rape victims. In bluer states, the message is about abortion rights and health care. In Kentucky, Democrats’ ads don’t mention the word “abortion” at all.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/22/democrats-abortion-kentucky-elections-00117739
= new reply since forum marked as read
