Abortion Issue May Be Mobilizing Democrats Ahead of Midterms

The issue of abortion could be a major factor in mobilizing Democrats to vote in the midterm elections, says FiveThirtyEight.

The website pointed to recent polls which indicate a shift in how important the issue is to Democrats and Republicans.

Forty-seven percent of Democrats said abortion is critically important to them, according to a PRRI survey. Forty percent of Republicans felt the same way. Just three years ago 43 percent of Republicans said abortion was a critical concern, while 36 percent of Democrats said the same, FiveThirtyEight noted.

And, according to a Pew poll, 61 percent of Democrats said abortion is very important to their vote in the midterms. Only 38 percent felt the same way in 2008.

FiveThirtyEight noted Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court seems to have elevated a perceived threat level regarding abortion for Democrats. The PRRI poll, conducted while his confirmation was underway, found that 64 percent of Democrats were convinced he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Even after the midterms, Democrats are likely to prioritize abortion as an issue while its status appears threatened, the website said.

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