President Joe Biden had a succinct message to Arizona voters who, in a few weeks, will be forced to live under a near-total abortion ban enacted in 1864: “Elect me, I’m from the 21st century.”
It sounds simple, but Democrats would do well to drive that point home with voters if they truly hope to capitalize on the public fury after the state Supreme Court recently upheld this draconian law, which only allows for lifesaving exceptions. It’s a boon for Democrats’ voter mobilization efforts that liberal activists got a measure on the ballot that could enshrine the right to abortion in the state’s Constitution. But local Democrats and others watching around the country shouldn’t assume that the measure, by itself, will lead to surefire victories in the fall.
The 2022 elections, which came mere months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, offer a warning about what can happen when Democrats do a poor job of messaging to voters about the policies that are at stake up and down the ballot.
In 2022, Democrats won key statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state — but conservative and ultraconservative candidates won other key races. Tom Horne, essentially an architect of the GOP’s anti-diversity crusade in schools, won his race for Arizona Public Schools superintendent. Republican Kimberly Yee won her race for Arizona treasurer, although she branded herself as a more traditional conservative. And in Maricopa County, where most of Arizona lives, Rachel Mitchell, the conservative lawyer who helped Republicans confirm Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court justice, won her race to become county attorney.
During her campaign, Mitchell vowed not to punish women who seek abortions in defiance of Arizona’s draconian abortion laws — but she left open the possibility that doctors or others who help women obtain abortions could be prosecuted. She issued a similar statement this week after the court ruling. Notably, her opponent in 2022 lost…
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