Tag: Abortion debate

White evangelicals are the largest religious group in Alabama and West Virginia, where restrictions on abortion passed with 59 percent and 51 percent of the vote respectively. And that means the landscape for abortion policy in the United States may also be changing. Millennials are already more liberal in their leanings than any other generation. And over half of young Democrats (53 percent) in a related September poll say that abortion is a critical issue. The trends are different when it comes to the politics of White evangelicals. While White evangelicals’ have strong feelings about abortion, at least half of this group contends that other issues are just as important. Conservative positions on policies like immigration, climate change, government-sponsored health care, and tax reform are emerging in place of traditional “religious voter” issues. In contrast, religious groups that lean more Democratic—the religiously unaffiliated and black Protestants — are more convinced that the judge will vote to overturn Roe (more than half of the former and two-thirds of the latter). In part because white evangelicals have broadened their agenda and abortion is only one of many policy targets for the group. At the same time, increased threats to abortion access are bringing about a more concentrated focus on abortion by Democrats and leading to evolving opinions of millennials on this issue.

Fox News contributor sounds off on the messaging over the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business…

That's especially true in states like Iowa, where Republicans have enacted restrictive measures on abortion in the past two years. That law, the nation's most restrictive, banned abortion after the detection of a heartbeat — usually at around six weeks of pregnancy. Polls have shown that the issue can motivate votes for Democrats who have characterized a Republican opponent as extreme. Related stories from The State in Columbia SC The Latest: 3 federal judges lead list of possible nominees Trump closes in on Supreme Court pick; 3 judges top list This year, the Supreme Court vacancy comes as Democratic-leaning voters are already motivated, as seen in voter registration, turnout and primary victories by liberal Democrats. Advocacy groups on either side of the abortion rights debate are heaping pressure on candidates viewed as key to the balance of power in the Senate. Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortion rights, has dispatched more than 500 local workers not just in Indiana, but Florida, Missouri and Ohio, where Democrats are also seeking re-election in states Trump carried in 2016. Conversely, in Nevada, Democratic Senate challenger Jacky Rosen is accusing Republican Sen. Dean Heller, who opposes abortion rights, of being out of step with voters. Democratic senators have urged Trump and Senate Republicans to wait until after the midterm elections to move ahead with Kennedy's successor, though the Republicans have shown no appetite for delaying the confirmation process. But confirmation of a Trump nominee before the election could mollify those devout conservatives who might have been motivated to vote if a court pick were on the line, said Harstad, the Democratic pollster who also advised Obama's campaigns in 2008 and 2012. Associated Press reporters are on the ground around the country, covering political issues, people and races from places they live.