Republicans fear abortion anger could keep Biden in White House

Pro-choice activists celebrate the defeat of the first issue in Ohio on Wednesday. Photo: USA TODAY

A strong anti-abortion vote in Ohio. on Wednesday was described as the «five worries» for Republicans ahead of the 2024 election.

Strategists warned that the result showed just how motivating the issue has become for Democrats and that it could help Joe Biden in the White House more four years.

Ohio is a key swing state that voted for the winner in every presidential election between 1964 and 2016.

It has increasingly moved to the Republicans with Donald Trump scoring eight points in both 2016 and 2020 .

On Wednesday, the state voted on a proposal known as «Question 1,» which focused on the issue of abortion.

< p>As a result, supporters of the right to abortion scored 14 points — with 57% vs. 43%.

«The big concern is what this means for 2024,» said Bill Stepien, Trump's 2020 campaign manager. Fox News.

“National choice groups are ready to attack.

“We know that the Democrats are not at all enthusiastic about Joe Biden. These groups will supply rocket fuel to the rather unenthusiastic candidate, stand still and knock on doors. We're going to breathe life into [Biden's] rather unenthusiastic campaign.»While Biden's support from Democrats is lukewarm, his stance on abortion is popular. Photo: AP

He added: “It happened in Ohio, which is no longer a pink state. It's a red state.»

Patrick Brown, a conservative scholar at the Center for Ethics and Public Policy, said, «The Ohio result… is a life-changing move.»

This was the latest example of the impact of last year's Supreme Roe v. Wade, which for half a century guaranteed the right to abortion at the national level.

Since then, six states before Ohio have voted for reproductive rights.

In every election, including in the conservative states of Kansas and Kentucky, voters have supported abortion rights.

Following last year's decision by the Supreme An Ohio court issued a six-week ban that has since been suspended in court.

There will be a referendum in November on whether to include the right to abortion in Ohio's constitution, and polls show a majority of voters support the state.

p> Abortion should be a key issue in next year's elections. Credit: AP

The Republican-backed «Question 1» proposal would have made this difficult.

He proposed a 60 percent threshold for amending the constitution, rather than the current simple majority.

< p>Money poured in from political groups outside of Ohio ahead of this week's vote on «Question 1.» spending was $35 million and turnout was a record.

Mr. Biden hailed the result, saying, «Today, Ohio voters rejected an attempt by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state's constitutional amendment process.

“This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken the popular vote and further undermine women's freedom to make their own health decisions. The people of Ohio spoke loud and clear, and democracy won.”

Abortion is banned in more than a dozen US states.

Efforts to bring abortion to a vote in November 2024 are under way in states including Florida, Maryland and New York. which would help Democratic turnout.

Last month, a survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans want abortion legal, at least in the early stages of pregnancy. .

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Democrats called the victory in Ohio «an important warning signal» for the Republicans.

Selinda Lake, a Democratic pollster, said: «It's very motivating. This will be the [Democrats'] roadmap for 2024 because challenges matter.

«Democrats should not underestimate this challenge and should continue to exploit it.»

John Kasich, former Republican Ohio's governor and presidential candidate in 2016 said, «It's an intensity issue. A lot of it has to do with the intensity — who really got the urge to go out and vote?»