Abortion ruling boosts Democrats' election hopes in Washington state and nationwide - Axios SeattleLog InLog InAxios Seattle is an Axios company.

How abortion rights rescued Democrats' midterm hopes

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Fervor about protecting abortion rights has revitalized Democrats' midterm chances, both in Washington state and nationwide. Driving the news: In Washington's August primary election, Republicans in most swing district legislative races and got shut out of the contest . Meanwhile, at the federal level, Democrats now have a good chance of maintaining control of the U.S. Senate, writes.Party leaders think they may even be able to keep a slim majority in the House, . What they're saying: The U.S. Supreme Court's June was a turning point in a year Democrats were expected to lose a slew of seats, said Cornell Clayton, director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University."I think the abortion issue gave Democrats a rallying cry," Clayton told Axios Seattle last week. "It certainly motivated women voters and the base of the Democratic Party."That could be seen in local races, including in King County, where no Republicans advanced in a race for an open House seat, said Alex Hays, a GOP political consultant. Instead, two Democrats will square off in November."The abortion ruling did significantly motivate Democratic voters in the primary," Hays told Axios Seattle. The bottom line: While Democrats still face challenges this year, they are poised to do better this fall than they would have without the Supreme Court's abortion ruling, Clayton said."Whether it will be enough to counter the headwinds — inflation and the sour sense among the electorate — I don't know," he said. . Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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