WASHINGTON — Texas Democrats are hosting an “Our Choice” town hall Thursday night to highlight key candidates’ support for abortion rights in a signal of where some party strategists are placing their emphasis ahead of the midterm elections.
The McAllen event will feature Democrats’ nominee for attorney general, Rochelle Garza, as well as Michelle Vallejo, the Democratic nominee running in the 15th Congressional District.
“Reproductive rights and abortion access has quickly become one of the top issues voters are bringing up to us at the doors,” Vallejo said when announcing the event. “We are hosting this town hall to make sure voters know where I stand on this issue and that I’ll fight for their rights once elected into Congress.”
Democrats nationally are leaning into abortion as a central issue even as some of their colleagues worry they risk underplaying the pocketbook issues that rank higher on voters’ priority list.
Many Republican candidates have sought to capitalize on voter concerns such as inflation, crime and immigration.
Abortion was pushed into the campaign spotlight when the Supreme Court issued its ruling over the summer overturning the 50-year-old precedent in the landmark Roe vs. Wade and its establishment of a Constitutional right to abortion.
Texas already had tight abortion restrictions in place but the court ruling paved the way for a trigger law that has made the state one of the most restrictive in the country.
Democrats have poured millions into airing more than 100 abortion-related broadcast TV ads across dozens of battleground districts across the country, according to a Politico analysis of data from media tracking firm AdImpact.
In Texas, the picture is at least somewhat mixed.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke did focus on abortion in his opening TV ad salvos, criticizing Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott for supporting the state’s far-ranging restrictions.
The Abbott campaign countered by saying O’Rourke is out of step with Texans for supporting abortion later in pregnancy. Abbott also has touted support for more pre-natal and and post-partum care for mothers.
But in addition to abortion, O’Rourke has highlighted gun laws, schools, the power grid, immigration and legalizing marijuana and gambling to help stem property taxes.
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, devoted her first television ad of the cycle to a “call to action” for protecting abortion access against “extreme politicians” in Austin.
“I wrote and passed a bill to protect women traveling to get the health care they need and can no longer get here in Texas,” Fletcher says in the ad. “This election, we all have to fight back — with our votes. Our freedom is on the ballot.”
Nationally, Democrats see an advantage on the issue from robust public support for the protections established in Roe, although Texans remain deeply divided on the issue.
“The abortion issue both wins and motivates the key constituents Democrats need to make a dent in Republicans’ statewide strength — namely college-educated voters, women and younger voters,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.
But even some strong abortion rights supporters worry Democrats are relying too much on the issue as some kind of silver bullet.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., recently wrote in the Guardian warning Democrats they are running a risk if they allow the intense abortion messaging to crowd out discussion of pro-worker policies.
Sanders cited his own “100% pro-choice voting record” and outrage at the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, but wrote that he disagrees with political consultants who are encouraging Democrats to “cut the 30-second abortion ads and coast to victory” in the midterms.
He criticized Republicans for their approach to housing, health care and college affordability, GOP positions he said fail to address the needs of low- and moderate-income Americans.
“Nevertheless, in poll after poll Republicans are more trusted than Democrats to handle the economy – the issue of most importance to people,” Sanders wrote. “I believe that if Democrats do not fight back on economic issues and present a strong pro-worker agenda, they could well be in the minority in both the House and the Senate next year.”
Rottinghaus said Democrats have to balance their message on abortion and the economy as they seek to pull middle class and working class voters away from the GOP.
While they’ve made inroads with voters in the suburbs, particularly women, the fight to win back the working class is going to be a long-term project, he said.
And those voters are feeling the sting of economic woes as they drive past high prices on gas station signs and watch their 401(k) balances plummet.
“Democrats have had trouble tip-toeing around the sour economy, which most voters blame on Joe Biden,” Rottinghaus said. “This is a tough moment for Democrats to try to both message on the economy and on social issues.”
In Congressional District 28, Rep. Henry Cuellar has been the lone House Democrat to oppose a bill intended to ensure abortion access nationwide.
But abortion is shaping up as a key piece of the Democratic message in other south Texas swing districts.
In District 15, Vallejo is featuring her position heavily with Thursday’s town hall and highlighting the contrast with Republican opponent Monica De La Cruz, who welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe and “return the authority to protect the unborn to the people’s elected representatives in the states.”
And in District 34, which features a battle of two incumbents, Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez recently released ads attacking Republican opponent Rep. Mayra Flores as “extreme” in her opposition to abortion rights.
Garza has used abortion in campaign ads to attack the incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
It remains to be seen whether Democrats’ abortion message will resonate enough with voters to put them over the top in those key races, but it does seem to have mitigated the chances for what appeared earlier this year to be a looming wipeout.
“Abortion is kind of holding the Democrats afloat,” Rottinghaus said. “That, politically, is keeping them competitive in many districts across the country … that’s why they’re clinging to that issue as a lifeline to try to minimize the damage in a midterm.”
