RICHMOND – Virginia Democrats rallied Monday on a hill overlooking the state Capitol to highlight abortion rights as a central element of their strategy for this fall’s elections, and actress Ashley Judd lent her star power to political leaders on the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe. against Wade.
“Today is a solemn day,” Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) said to a gathering of about 200 people. people, who wore white in what Democrats say is a symbol of the fight for reproductive rights. “Today is the second anniversary of when I became the first generation in my family to lose a constitutional right in my lifetime.”
Hosted by the Virginia Biden-Harris presidential campaign, the event featured several of the state’s most powerful female leaders. State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), the first Black woman to serve as president pro tempore of the state Senate, drew applause when she used a crude term to describe her battles with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“Now everyone knows why I walk with this cane,” Lucas said. “I had total knee surgery from keeping my foot on Glenn Youngkin’s butt all the time.”
Youngkin’s victory as governor in 2021 marked a resurgence of Republican strength in a state that appeared to be trending blue. Democrats have since regained some momentum, losing control of the House of Delegates and preserving control of the state Senate in last year’s elections.
Part of that new blue force has been related to the issue of abortion. Last year, Youngkin campaigned for Republican candidates on a promise to seek a 15-week ban on abortions, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Voters strongly indicated that they favor keeping Virginia’s law as it is, allowing abortions during the second trimester (approximately 26 weeks) and in the third trimester if three doctors agree that it is necessary to save the life or health of the woman. pregnant person.
However, heading into this fall’s presidential and congressional races, some polls have shown surprising strength for former President Donald Trump, who lost Virginia to President Biden by 10 percentage points in 2020. Trump will campaign in Virginia on Friday in Chesapeake City, and Youngkin will join him in their first joint appearance.
With at least three congressional seats also locked up in competitive races this year and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) seeking a third term, Democrats say the abortion issue will be a central part of their effort to motivate their voters to turn off.
“As we see attacks on the rights to abortion, contraception and IVF, these are attacks on the rights and freedoms of our fellow citizens,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is running for the Democratic nomination next year. year to the presidency. governor, she told the crowd Monday.
The Women’s Health Organization decision Dobbs v. Jackson sparked “two years of organization, action and concentration,” she said. “This November is our chance to say once again at the polls that this is unacceptable. “Our freedoms cannot be attacked, our rights cannot be rolled back.”
Youngkin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also coinciding with Dobbs’ anniversary, Kaine released a abortion related advertisement Monday targeting his Republican opponent, Hung Cao. Calling it “too extreme for Virginia,” the ad accuses Cao of supporting a national law banning abortion and comparing women seeking abortions to Nazis.
“No matter what Tim Kaine and his lackeys say, I will not vote for any federal abortion ban,” Cao said in a statement in response to a question about the announcement. “And likewise, Tim Kaine will never secure our border or deport illegal immigrants who should never have been in this country. I will do that. “I spent twenty-five years fighting for this country and I’m not done yet.”
Monday’s event also highlighted that the Biden campaign is not taking Virginia for granted, given the president’s anemic approval ratings in the state. While two recent polls showed Trump and Biden running head-to-head in Virginia, most experts still rate the state as a long shot for the Republican due to demographic shifts and a suburban population that has increasingly leaned toward Democrats in recent years, particularly since the Dobbs decision.
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