… Citing polls that show a clear majority in favor of maintaining Roe, some progressives see this fall’s midterms as a chance to elect more allies to the House and Senate to put a bill on President Joe Biden’s desk that in effect legislates the protections of Roe — a process even this Supreme Court might find hard to strike down.
Here’s the problem: The reaction to the end of Roe may not be what proponents hope it will be. …
The same polarization that has effectively weeded out pro-abortion rights Republicans and anti-abortion Democrats in Washington means that GOP candidates will be positioning themselves harder and harder to win the support of social conservatives, for whom “leave it to the states” will be weak tea.
The argument here is not that abortion will sweep Republicans into power in Congress this fall; it’s that the historical drag on Democrats, Biden’s weak approval ratings and the possibility of energized voters on both side of the abortion issue will produce a GOP Congress in November, whose members will be disposed — out of conviction or political pressure — to vote for a national ban. CONTINUED
Jeff Greenfield, Politico Magazine
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