Memo: What Last Week’s Election Results in Other Swing States Mean for New Hampshire in 2024

As election results poured in from states across the nation — from Ohio to Virginia to Kentucky — a common theme emerged: Americans were supporting abortion rights at the ballot box, and were rejecting politicians who were attempting to strip away those rights.

NPR reported that "Tuesday's elections brought victories to Democrats and supporters of abortion rights across multiple states — including in some that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020. Democrats won key legislative and gubernatorial races in Virginia and Kentucky. Democratic candidates in both those states campaigned on abortion access."

Here are the top five takeaway from this past Tuesday’s results:

• Abortion continues to be a driving force for voters, defining the 2023 election cycle. On Tuesday, supporters of abortion rights from across the political spectrum showed up to vote and sent a clear message: politicians have no business controlling our bodies and our futures.
• This fight is far from over, and it will take more than one election to undo the harm caused by the Supreme Court’s devastating Dobbs decision that allows state politicians to ban abortion. The Supreme Court's decision has plunged us into an enduring public health crisis, and the repercussions of politicians' abortion bans and restrictions will continue to significantly affect people's lives.
• Politicians’ attempts to rewrite their positions and records on abortion don’t work. During these state campaigns, anti-abortion politicians lied about their positions on abortion, tried to “soften” their anti-abortion stances, and attempted to confuse voters with words like “reasonable,” “limit,” and “compromise” — but it didn’t work then and it won’t work in the future. Voters see the verbal gymnastics for what it is: a politicians’ last-ditch shameless attempt to hide their opposition to abortion and reproductive freedom.
• As important as this issue was in elections in Ohio and Virginia, it is poised to be an even more prominent part of the conversation here in New Hampshire – which has one of the most pro-choice electorates in the entire country. Earlier this year, Breakthrough Campaigns conducted a survey revealing that an overwhelming 87% of Granite Staters support reproductive freedom. In comparison, exit polls in Ohio indicate that 60% of voters believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while in Virginia, approximately 70% of voters support maintaining the state's current laws or easing access to the procedure.
   
• Politicians who have backed abortion bans or have sought to defund Planned Parenthood may find that winning elections in New Hampshire is no longer feasible for them. The results of this week's elections raise very serious questions about whether – in a post-Roe America – politicians like Kelly Ayotte who has endorsed abortion bans, has repeatedly attempted to defund Planned Parenthood health centers, and is now bragging about her sinister plans to jeopardize access to affordable health care, even has a chance. While these anti-abortion positions were dangerous in the past, voters are acutely aware that they are even more dangerous now that there are no remaining federal or state protections for abortion rights.

This week’s election results across the nation sent a clear and resounding message: support for abortion rights is not a divisive issue, but a unifying one. As we count down the days to the 2024 general election, it is crucial for politicians to recognize and embrace this new political reality.

As we move forward, the onus is on politicians to align themselves with where the majority of Granite Staters and Americans are on this issue. That means not just words, but also taking concrete action to protect the right to an abortion. 

Tuesday's election results made clear that the political landscape on abortion has shifted, and politicians must quickly adapt to this reality or risk finding themselves without a job come November.

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Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in New Hampshire. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.