Can the Democrat Candidates Stop Republicans from Redefining Abelian Abicon Laws? The Case for a Black Speaker of the House of Delegates

The Democrats took control of the state Senate and flipped the state House, which means that there will be a divided government.

The legislature was up for grabs. The elections received significant national attention, with prominent Democrats like President Biden and former President Barack Obama boosting their party with emails and robocalls.

As it is, Virginia is the only state in the South that has not restricted abortion in response to the Supreme Court decision last year. Currently, abortion is legal until 26 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. It seems like that law might stay intact because of the incoming majority.

Republicans, led by Youngkin, have been trying to recast their messaging on abortion, pushing a position they framed as a middle ground on the issue: a ban on the procedure at 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

Don Scott told NPR that the Democratic candidates had the message, the candidates, and the ability to stop the extreme Republicans’ agenda.

Scott is the leading candidate to be the speaker of the House. He would be the first Black speaker in the Virginia House of Delegates if elected.

An Example of a Red State: Voting Prohibited Abortion until Fetal Viability in the Ohio Legislature and Kentucky’s Supreme Court

In the fall of 2015, Ohio voters approved a ballot initiative for reproductive health protections in the state’s constitution, which would include abortion until fetal viability.

Democrats were able to take control of the state House of Delegates while maintaining control of the state Senate in a state with a divided legislature and a Republican governor.

“Ohio is the first state that I really think we can put in that red column that has said, ‘We can go on offense, and we can win,’” Hall says. “That is an inspiring example that shines light on the path for other red states.”

The vote in Ohio followed a special election in August, when Republican lawmakers put a question on the ballot – also called Issue 1 – that would have made it more difficult to amend the state constitution. Voters turned out to reject the proposal.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, won re-election after facing a challenge from the state’s Republican attorney general who opposed abortion rights and has defended Kentucky’s strict abortion laws in court.

A young woman talks about being raped by a family member at age 12 in an emotional Beshear ad. She said that anyone who thinks there should be exceptions for rape or incest in Kentucky’s abortion law would never understand what it’s like.

Last year, in a sign that the state’s abortion laws are not keeping pace with public opinion, voters rejected a ballot initiative that was seen as unfriendly to abortion rights.

The Republican Gov. of Mississippi won a second term. His opponent was a relative of the late Elvis Presley who opposed abortion rights.

With the fight over abortion policy increasingly playing out in state legislatures and courts, abortion rights advocates have been paying closer attention to state Supreme Court races.

The American Civil Liberties Union invested in digital ads backing McCaffery over Carluccio in order to win an open seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court. The state has a Democratic governor, but groups supporting abortion rights say they want to shore up access for the future.