WSJ: Iowans Abortion Position Shaping 2024 Race

Iowa, often in the spotlight as the kick-off state for the presidential primary season, is at the center of a brewing storm over abortion politics. With the 2024 presidential race already underway, some prominent Iowa Republicans are asserting their demand for candidates to hold fast to their anti-abortion positions.

Laura Carlson, an influential figure in the Iowa Federation of Republican Women, stressed she's "OK with a six-week or heartbeat ban," according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal's report comes as Democrats eye abortion rights as a mobilizing force for the 2024 elections. According to a report last week from The Hill, "Democrats now say the effort to add abortion measures to the ballot in 2024 could help fracture the GOP in races next year and add to Democratic momentum that has been building in the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade."

But just as some presidential candidates begin angling for a public position, recent polling suggests a majority of Americans support some level of abortion access. A Gallup poll in May found that 34% of Americans favor unconditional abortion legality, with 51% favoring it under certain circumstances, and 13% disapproving of the practice entirely.

With parties standing on opposite shores, the Dobbs decision upending Roe v. Wade has galvanized Republicans, with 66% approving of the decision, compared to 33% of Independents and a mere 12% of Democrats.

During the 2022 midterms, abortion-rights advocates secured six victories in multiple ballot measures since Roe's overturning. The issue proved to be a mobilizing force for Democrats, in one such instance regarding the re-election of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who ran on a lawsuit during midterms to protect abortion access.

Last month, Iowa Republicans passed a six-week abortion ban, but a state judge blocked it, the result of which sets up the stakes for a heated legal battle in the Hawkeye state.

Moreover, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, emphasized the importance of forceful candidate advocacy on this issue ahead of the RNC debate in Milwaukee next week.

"What happens on that debate stage will affect state ballot initiatives. A head in the sand will communicate expectant losses and that is not to be abided," she said.

According to the Journal, during interviews, Iowa Republicans largely sought resolute anti-abortion candidates, with some preferring the issue's management at the state level. But amidst these discussions, some voters, like Barb Corson from Waverly, Iowa, emphasized that while abortion holds importance, a spectrum of concerns should occupy the candidates' attention, such as jobs and border security.

As far as Iowa is positioned, the battleground over abortion is set to shape the contours of the larger 2024 electoral landscape.