On Wednesday, a CNN panel discussed the Democratic victory in the special election for New York's 19th congressional district, a race that for weeks had been believed to be leaning toward Republicans — and the implications for the GOP abortion stance after Democratic candidate Pat Ryan ran a campaign that put the issue front and center.
The saga, some panelists suggested, is a sign that Republicans are being hurt by overreach on the issue, as near-total abortion bans around the country produce shocking stories — like the Louisiana woman forced to carry a headless fetus to term.
"In addition to the special election, remember, there was that ballot measure in Kansas, on abortion rights itself, that showed a big outpouring of Democratic turnout there," said reporter David Chalian. "This is an issue that is igniting Democrats at precisely a moment they needed to be ignited. There are these still larger factors in American politics, right? Joe Biden's approval rating is down in the low 40s. There are real cost of living issues for Americans. But there is something shifting in the sand in politics that, you know, Republicans are going to start to wonder, might their potential wave have crashed a little early?"
Analyst Kasie Hunt agreed that Republicans were suffering consequences for going too far on abortion bans.
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"The thing about the abortion issue too, I think, you know, some of the reporting that came out of the Supreme Court on how this decision unfolded and the fact that John Roberts apparently wanted to take kind of a slightly more middle ground, I think that actually all reflects, like, where the country is on abortion," said Hunt. "Because a big part of this is how extreme the decision felt to many voters, and how it is being implemented in extreme ways in some of the red states."
"The fact is Americans, even many of whom oppose abortion at all, you know, at some point, in pregnancy, they want exceptions for rape, for the life of the mother, for incest, and there are some states are saying you can't do that, and the horror stories are simply piling up," Hunt continued. "It is affecting miscarriage care and women who want to have children. That is just — that's a different reality from a Republican Party that was encouraging some sort of compassionate limit on abortion, say 20-plus weeks, right. That's not where the Republican Party is. I think it is clear that's potentially a major strategic mistake for them."
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