Good (post-midterms) morning!
A quick hello and a few thoughts on abortion initiatives
I’m running on limited sleep, like everyone today, and prepping for NPR’s Here & Now and All Things Considered - where I’ll have much more to say about the midterm results.
But really quickly, here’s a look at how abortion rights ballot initiatives - the one place you can totally isolate this issue from other concerns - performed last night.
The short story: abortion rights advocates had a very strong night, even in deep-red Kentucky, where they put up a big fight to defeat Amendment 2 - and where they are hoping to overturn two abortion bans in state court.
I’m spending the day talking with activists and experts across the spectrum about what these results - and the underperformance of Republicans in many races last night versus expectations - says about how voters weighed this issue in the first major election following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. So lots more to come.
If you have questions, please drop them below:
Here in Maine, former governor Paul LePage (who once boasted "I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular") was soundly defeated. The Portland Press Herald ran this quote:
"If heating oil is not as important as abortion," LePage said in a short speech to supporters late Tuesday, "then I’m telling you I should have never gotten into politics."
I'm not the only Mainer breathing a huge sigh of relief this morning!
Looking forward to hearing more of your analysis as results become clearer.
Any time abortion right has been on the ballot during the past two decades, voters have overwhelming voted in favor of abortion rights. From the personhood ballot initiatives in Mississippi in the 2000s to the ballot initiatives last night, voters have consistently rejected anti-abortion measures on the ballot.