More voters identify as pro-abortion rights than as Democrats, making abortion an important issue for picking up swing voters
Washington, D.C. – Today, MoveOn Political Action released new polling from battleground states showing that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is very unpopular and gives Democrats an opportunity with key voters.
The survey was fielded before the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, making it more likely the data has shifted in the aftermath to further increase the urgency with which voters view abortion rights and their willingness to engage on the issue.
“If we want to restore abortion rights and prevent Republicans from passing a national abortion ban, we need to fight to hold the House and add two Democratic senators who will prioritize abortion rights over the filibuster,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting. “Democrats speaking out for abortion rights doesn’t motivate only base voters—it’s an extremely important issue for swing voters, as well.”
“The electorate in several battlegrounds—like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—are far more supportive of abortion than conventional political wisdom thinks they are,” said Lake Research Partners President Celinda Lake. “More voters in these states identify as pro-abortion rights than as Democrats, making abortion a key issue for picking up support from swing voters.”
Other findings include:
- The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade runs counter to public sentiment in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
- Democrats and pro-abortion rights voters are very motivated to turn out in November in support of candidates who will protect people’s right to an abortion. Additionally, Democrats and pro-abortion rights voters are much more energized to vote in response to the decision to overturn Roe and a possible abortion ban in their state than are Republicans or voters who oppose abortion in all or most circumstances.
- While it is true that there are many issues competing for voters’ attention at this time, not the least of which are gas prices and inflation, polling shows that voters are ready to hold lawmakers accountable in November for ensuring or restricting access to abortion.
MoveOn commissioned Lake Research Partners to design and administer an online survey of 300 likely 2022 voters in each of four battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—as well as 200 Democratic surge voters across the four states. The survey fielded June 6-14, 2022. The margin of error for each state is +/-5.7%.
Full polling memo can be found here.
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