These way-down-ballot races will decide whether abortion is legal for millions

North Carolina is one of the few states in the Southeast that still offers some access to abortion. Hundreds of women from surrounding states have poured into its clinics since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. But the outcome of a handful of state legislative races this fall could restrict abortion access further or halt it altogether, there as well as in several other purple states. These far-down-the-ballot contests usually don’t register on the national radar, compared to the battle for control of Congress — but they could have a profound effect on the post-Roe abortion landscape. Democrats on the ground are pouring organizing power into these races and leaning into abortion in conversations with voters, believing it could shift the political environment in their direction. But Democrats often fall behind Republicans in spending on state legislative races, and Jessica Post, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the disparity has become alarming. The Republican State Leadership Committee outraised the DLCC by nearly $4 million during the last fundraising quarter.

“If we continue to neglect this level of the ballot, there will be devastating consequences,” Post said. “If you want to protect abortion rights, the single best place to devote your time, energy and resources is on state legislative races.” In North Carolina, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and his veto stand in the way of new abortion restrictions in the state: Republicans are just two state Senate seats and three state House seats away from achieving veto-proof majorities there, a high-water mark for legislative power that Democrats only broke in 2018. In Wisconsin, Republicans are one state Senate seat and five state House seats shy of veto-proof majorities of their own, and they’re running hard to unseat Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, too. In Virginia, Republicans need to flip only two state Senate seats in next year’s legislative elections to pave the way for a 15-week abortion ban supported by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The potential repercussions offer Democratic candidates an opportunity to tie their contests to the national backlash against abortion restricts that have boosted the party over the summer, from a special election in upstate New York to a resounding ballot initiative defeat in Kansas. But Democrats also recognize it’s been difficult to get voters to tune into these smaller races in the past.