Kansas voters chose to protect abortion rights in their state. A former Missouri governor’s political comeback has been put on hold. And the matchup in what will be one of the key gubernatorial races this fall has been decided.
Kansas voters sent a dramatic message Tuesday by choosing to keep abortion rights in the state constitution just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Polls have long shown that voters overwhelmingly support protecting abortion rights. But the down-ballot victory in Kansas is proof of that, and signals that the Supreme Court’s decision has further angered voters and likely changed the politics of the issue ahead of the November election.
“No” leaves the state constitution unchanged. While state lawmakers may still try to pass restrictive abortion laws, Kansas courts have recognized the right to abortion under the state constitution.
Perhaps the biggest warning to Republicans, many of whom trumpeted Roe’s repeal and backed the push for tougher abortion laws, is the turnout in Kansas. With 78 percent of the vote Tuesday night, nearly 700,000 people had voted in the primary, a number that is already dwarfing turnout in the 2020 presidential primary.
“This is further evidence of what we’ve been told poll after poll: Americans support abortion rights,” said Christina Reynolds, a top operative for Emily’s List, an organization that wants to elect women who support abortion rights. “They believe we should be able to make our own health care decisions and will vote accordingly, even in the face of misleading campaigns.”
Greitens’ comeback attempt fails
Missouri Republicans breathed a sigh of relief after state Attorney General Eric Schmidt won the Senate primary, according to a CNN forecast.
Perhaps more important than who won in the crimson state, however, was who lost: disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens, who was trying to get back into politics. Greitens resigned in 2018 amid a sex scandal and allegations of campaign misconduct and subsequently faced abuse allegations from his ex-wife, which he denied
Schmitt, the attorney general, emerged from a crowded field that included two members of Congress, Reps. Vicki Hartzler and Billy Long.
Former President Donald Trump stayed out of the race, issuing a scathing statement in support of “Eric” on the eve of the primary — leaving voters to decide whether that meant Schmidt or Greitens.
Dixon’s win in Michigan’s gubernatorial race creates a referendum on Covid policies
Tudor Dixon, the conservative commentator endorsed by Trump in the final days of the race and backed by large factions of the Michigan GOP, won the state’s GOP primary to face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, CNN predicted.
The Michigan showdown could be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the nation.
Whitmer has declared himself a supporter of abortion rights in a state where Republicans tried to push through a 1931 law that would have imposed a near-total ban on abortion.
Meanwhile, Dixon framed the race in his victory speech Tuesday night as a referendum on the restrictions imposed by Whitmer during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dixon, a mother of four who is backed by the family of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is also an advocate for school choice — potentially positioning education as an issue in November’s midterm elections.
Progressives suffer another defeat in Michigan
The Democrat’s projected victory in Michigan’s recently drawn 11th Congressional District Democratic primary over running mate Andy Levin marks another blow to progressives in what has been a mostly disappointing primary season.
It’s also a resounding success for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and its super PAC, the United Democracy Project, which has spent millions supporting moderate, more staunchly pro-Israel candidates in the Democratic primary.
Both Stevens and Levin support Israel, but Levin, who is Jewish, is more inclined to criticize the government’s treatment of the Palestinians and is the main sponsor of the Two-State Solution Act.
Progressive Democrats, frequently attacked by AIPAC this primary season, resented their fellow Democrats for accepting or courting support from the group, which also contributed to Republicans’ denial of the election. AIPAC defended the practice, arguing that its policy goals needed bipartisan support.
J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group that has clashed with AIPAC, tried to support Levin with a $700,000 ad buy in July, but that amount pales in comparison to the millions bagged by AIPAC and more than $4 million spent by the UDP.
Add Comment