Democrats Hope for Boost From Fiery Abortion Debates, Polls Disagree

Democratic Senate hopefuls want the nation to turn its attention back to abortion in the final weeks leading up to the midterm elections, and reignite the voter enthusiasm the party thought would counter a red wave this year.

Candidates in several key battleground states have tried to nail their Republican opponents on the debate stage, launching into fiery exchanges they hope will sway voters and thwart the recent gains the GOP has made in the last stretch leading up to November 8. But polls have suggested that Americans aren't as interested in abortion as they are in the economy.

Two polls released this week have suggested that voters are planning to base their support in the midterms on inflation rather than abortion. A Monday poll from The New York Times/Siena College showed Republicans with an overwhelming advantage among voters concerned about the economy and a Wednesday poll from Politico/Morning Consult found that 42 percent of voters identifying economic issues as their top concerns, compared to the 14 percent who selected "birth control, abortion and equal pay."

Yet Democrats in states like Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia and North Carolina have pressed their GOP rivals on the debate stage about abortion, which helped boost voter turnout among Democrats in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

On Tuesday's debate stage, Florida Senate candidate Val Demings asked Republican Senator Marco Rubio "how gullible" he thought Florida voters were when it comes to believing that the Republican would allow for exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

A week earlier, Wisconsin Democrat Mandela Barnes slammed GOP Senator Ron Johnson for being "out of touch" and "extreme" for suggesting residents move if they don't support a state ban, while Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan hammered Republican J.D. Vance for taking a similar position.

"[Vance] supports a national abortion ban in which he wants women to have to get a passport and go to Canada," Ryan said on the debate stage. "We've got to have some moderation on this issue. He's got a very extreme position."

Earlier this month, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly also criticized his Republican rival Blake Masters for calling abortion "demonic" and a "religious sacrifice."

"I don't even know what that means, folks," Kelly told the audience. "But what I'm doing is I am protecting your constitutional rights that you have lost because of rhetoric like this."

Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Newsweek, "Any voter watching these debates can see the clear threat Republicans pose to a woman's right to make her own health care decisions."

"On the debate stage Democrats are holding GOP Senate candidates' feet to the fire for standing in lockstep with their party's deeply unpopular plan to ban abortion nationwide without exceptions," Cousin said, adding that "voters will make their voices heard by standing with Senate Democrats in November."

Abortion has become a particularly hot-button issue in Georgia's Senate race, where Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock is facing off against Republican Herschel Walker, who has become embroiled in an abortion controversy following a report that he paid for a former girlfriend to have one despite his anti-abortion stance. Walker has denied these claims.

Two weeks after the story broke, there was a slight shift in support for Warnock, according to FiveThirtyEight, although it's unclear whether the controversy was the only reason for the Democrat's gains.

In the only Georgia Senate debate, Walker appeared to soften on his no-exception stance, saying he agrees with state law that allows exceptions for rape, incest and to save the mother's life.

In response to Walker's attacks, Warnock said, "God gave us a choice and I respect the right of women to make a decision. These are medical decisions, they are deeply personal." The senator added that his Republican challenger "wants to arrogate more power to politicians than God has."

On a national level, President Joe Biden has also urged voters to cast their ballots for Democrats this year, vowing that if the party keeps the House and Senate, he would send a bill codifying abortion protections to Congress.

"We're only 22 days away from the most consequential moment in our history in my view, in recent history at least—an election where the choice and the stakes are crystal clear, especially when it comes to the right to choose," Biden said in a Tuesday speech at a Democratic National Convention event.

"Right now, we're short a handful of votes. If you care about the right to choose then you got to vote," Biden said. "That's why these midterm elections are so critical to elect more Democratic senators in the United States Senate and more Democrats to keep control the House of Representatives."

Although recent polling suggests that Americans are generally less concerned about abortion rights in the country, Senate candidates could be trying to tap into the 58 percent of independents and 42 percent of Republicans who said they're more likely to vote because of the Supreme Court's decision in a September poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist.

Earlier this month, a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) also found that half of voters surveyed said the decision was a motivating factor, a bump from July's 43 percent. The trend was particularly noticeable among voters in states where abortion bans have already begun to take place. The survey found that 83 percent of voters, including 70 percent of Republicans, in states with full abortion bans oppose state laws.

KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said in a press release that while the GOP started with a midterm advantage this year "their efforts to ban and criminalize abortion are backfiring on them politically, even in red states."

"Whether this motivates enough voters to hit the polls and change the outcome remains to be seen," Altman said.