Abortion, 'democracy threat' push back 'red wave' in US midterms
DURHAM, North Carolina — Abortion and the so-called “threat to democracy” were among issues that prevented the “red wave” for the Republicans in the US midterm elections, professors from Duke University in North Carolina said.
It was a narrow race for both houses of Congress — with the Democrats retaining their hold of the Senate, while the House of Representatives is expected to go back to Republican control.
“The so-called red wave should have happened, [but] to some degree it didn’t… one of the reasons I think is the issue of abortion seemed to have mattered in terms of who turned out and for whom they voted [for],” Kerry Haynie, a professor of political science, told foreign journalists.
“Another issue that showed up in the election is the issue of democracy being at risk. There appears to be some evidence that the voters chose with that in mind.”
Candidates from the Republican Party ran on the false narrative that the 2020 elections was “stolen” from Donald Trump, who was then seeking reelection.
READ: 'Election denialism' stalks US midterm polls, puts democracies abroad at risk
The Democrats, on the other hand, doubled down on the message that democracy was under threat, with President Joe Biden also campaigning on the issue against election denialism.
“I think generic appeals to the importance of democracy and the importance of protecting it were effective with voters in a way that dealth with conventional wisdom,” associate professor at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy Asher Hildebrand said.
Abortion among ‘key issues’
The US Supreme Court in June this year overturned the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that gave women the right to terminate their pregnancy.
Through Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization,, the high court ruled that the power on legalizing abortion would be given to individual states, which now gives lawmakers the power to criminalize abortion.
Adriane Lentz-Smith, associate professor and associate chair in Duke’s Department of History, said that the decision may have “scared a lot of voters who stopped thinking their votes mattered.”
Throughout the campaign period for this year’s polls, abortion was named among the “top issues” for voters, along with inflation and the economy as well as immigration.
The League of Women Voters emphasized that this year’s election noted that it may mean life and death for some.
“We at the league stand firmly in the belief that the right of women to make that decision regarding bodily autonomy and their health choices are theirs,” said Pinny Sheoran, president of the league, who campaigned against the ban on abortions.
Reminder that ‘democracy should be protected’
This year’s polls was a stark reminder for voters to exercise their rights to cast their ballots, historian Lentz-Smith said, as election deniers ran for key offices across the country and would potentially have power over their electoral process should they secure the post.
FiveThirtyEight noted that the US Elections Project estimated a voter turnout of 47%, which nearly matched rates seen in the 2018 midterm elections.
“We are reminded that democracy isn’t just something that happens,” Lentz-Smith said.
“The question is whether people will be able to maintain the energy to protect it and the reasonable knowledge to figure out strategies for protecting it.”
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