A vital part of Democrat Kamala Harris' presidential campaign was tapping into the groundswell of women's anger and political activism unleashed by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision overturning the federal right to an abortion. But the issue failed to drive the turnout the vice president needed.

Washington

Donald Trump is preparing to take office after defeating Kamala Harris in the U.S. Presidential election.

U.S. Presidential Elect

Kamala Harris, in her campaign for the United States presidency, aimed to mobilize voters by highlighting the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal abortion rights. The strategy sought to harness the anger and political activity among women that emerged following this judicial decision two years ago. However, this issue did not generate the voter turnout required to secure a victory for Harris.

According to an exit poll conducted by Edison Research, nearly a third of voters prioritized the economy as their primary concern. This was significantly higher than the 14 percent who considered abortion their top issue. While Harris was able to secure a majority of women voters, with 53 percent compared to Donald Trump's 45 percent, her share was reduced from the initial support shown to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Meanwhile, Trump gained three percentage points among women voters compared to his 2020 campaign.

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision resulting in a series of restrictive abortion laws in Republican-led states, abortion rights measures found success when decided directly by voters. Harris warned that Trump could further reduce access to reproductive health care, whereas Trump advocated for leaving the issue to state decisions. Notably, exits polls indicated more voters trusted Harris over Trump on the subject of abortion rights.

In the overall election results, Trump secured victories in states like Missouri and Florida, even where abortion rights received strong support on ballot measures. Going forward, the landscape of abortion legislation is expected to remain a patchwork of state-specific laws. Advocates for abortion rights emphasize the importance of state-level elections in maintaining these rights during Trump's upcoming administration. On the other hand, anti-abortion groups intend to propose new policies once Trump's term commences.



Why the economy, not abortion decided the U.S. election

They are out of their minds. In her race for the White House, Kamala Harris had hoped to tap into anger about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the federal right to abortion two years ago. Why exactly is it that they don't trust women? But the issue did not drive the turnout the Democratic vice president needed to win. According to an Edison Research exit poll, nearly a third of voters said the economy was their top issue. Only 14 percent said it was abortion. And while women voters did prefer Harris over Republican Donald Trump, 53 percent to 45 percent, she captured a smaller share of women voters compared to what President Joe Biden received in 2020. Trump also improved on his share of women voters by three percentage points compared to 2020. The conservative court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 triggered a wave of restrictive abortion laws in Republican-controlled states. Before Tuesday, seven states put the issue of abortion rights directly to voters. Abortion rights campaigns won every time. He brags about overturning Roe v. Wade. In his own words, quote, I did it and I'm proud to have done it. In her campaign, Harris said Trump would roll back access to reproductive health care and promised to bring back a federal law restoring abortion rights nationwide. For his part, Trump has said leave the issue to the states. And I did that. Now the states are voting. Exit polls showed more voters said they trusted Harris compared to Trump on the issue of abortion. But election results showed some felt they could support abortion rights and Trump at the same time. He won in both Missouri and Florida, states where abortion rights ballot measures received a majority of support. Although the Florida vote fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to pass. For the next four years, it appears abortion laws will likely remain a state-by-state patchwork. Abortion rights advocates say state-level elections will become all the more important to preserving abortion access under Trump. That includes elections for state Supreme Court judges and constitutional officers. Meanwhile, some anti-abortion groups say they're keen to push for new policies under the next Trump administration, which begins on January 20th.

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