Today, a new report from the Associated Press details how Texas’ Abortion Ban is impacting the Virginia gubernatorial race, where Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin has told anti-abortion extremists behind closed doors that he will defund Planned Parenthood and ban abortion if elected governor.
According to the AP, when asked whether he would implement abortion restrictions Youngkin “would not answer” the question and his campaign staff “stormed out” — ignoring the fact that he’s promised to “start going on offense” in office to pass a Trumpian agenda that strips women of their access to reproductive care.
Recent polling shows 61% of voters in Virginia say abortion should be legal and 69% believe Roe v. Wade “should be left as is.” Youngkin’s out-of-touch beliefs can’t be trusted and Virginians will reject his extreme views in November.
The Associated Press: Big Virginia abortion test: Can it energize Democratic base
By: Will Weissert and Lindsay Whitehurst | October 19, 2021
Key Points:
- “Democrat Terry McAuliffe has spent months trying to get Virginia voters to focus on abortion, part of his effort to drive the Democratic turnout he needs to win the state’s closely watched governor’s race.”
- “Pointing to the Texas law, and with a majority-conservative Supreme Court taking up a case that could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, McAuliffe and his allies argue that the issue may matter more now than at any previous time in a half century.”
- “‘This is something that voters across the country should be scared about,’ said Jessica Floyd, president of American Bridge 21st Century, the Democratic Party’s opposition research arm.”
- “VoteCast, an Associated Press survey of the 2020 electorate, found that 61% of Virginia voters said abortion should be legal in at least most cases, similar to the nationwide percentage. Separately, 69% said Roe v. Wade should be left as is, compared to 29% saying the decision should be overturned.”
- “Youngkin, who is trying to appeal to suburban moderates and independents, isn’t eager to talk about the issue.”
- “But in a recent AP interview, he would not answer a question about whether he backs earlier restrictions. The question prompted an outburst from a Youngkin campaign strategist, who objected to it as theoretical, then stormed out.”
- “‘When I’m governor, and I have a majority in the House, we can start going on offense,’ Youngkin said, referencing possible GOP gains in statehouse elections. ‘But as a campaign topic, sadly, that in fact won’t win me independent votes that I have to get.’”
Read the full AP article here.
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Published: Oct 19, 2021