Happy Friday from 1A at WAMU!
We made it through the week. What now?
I’m hosting 1A from WAMU in DC today - and we’ll have some deep post-midterm analysis this morning with two panels of experts who can talk about what happened on Tuesday, the key races that have yet to be called, and what it all means at home and abroad:
You can find us on your NPR station this morning or on the 1A podcast, later today.
It’s been a long week and I may or may not have washed my hair but I took a selfie in the WAMU studio anyway because I’m only human. (Also, I really need to cut it, I know I know.)
Now that that’s out of the way…
As a beat reporter on abortion rights policy, I’ve spent most of my week focusing on that issue - the messaging around it, and its impact on election results. Overall, voter concerns about the overturning of Roe v. Wade seemed to mitigate what was expected to be a tough year for Democrats.
And when it comes to ballot measures asking voters to weigh in directly, abortion right groups saw decisive victories, as I reported for NPR.
What I’m most interested in next?
We’re likely to see more ballot questions on abortion in the future, sources tell me - and stepped-up efforts to use ballot initiatives to push back against restrictions passed by state lawmakers.
Nearly two-dozen states allow citizen-led ballot initiatives. So that is something to watch in 2024 - especially in states under near-total abortion bans that may be out of step with the position of the electorate.
How are you feeling about the results - and what are you watching?