Why Democrats can’t rely on abortion ballot initiatives to help them win

Key Facts

Efforts are underway to put abortion rights on the 2024 ballot in around a dozen states, including Arizona, Nevada and Florida, states that could have an outsized impact on control of the Senate and the presidential election.
As President Joe Biden signals he will make abortion a key plank of his reelection bid, and Democrats up and down the ballot work to channel ongoing public outrage over abortion bans, both Republican and Democratic strategists say the issue remains toxic for the GOP and that ballot initiatives could force candidates on both sides to talk about it and provide voters with a clear contrast.
Democrats running in states where abortion-rights initiatives are in the works say they are not relying on the measures themselves — they plan to keep abortion front and center of their campaigns whether or not the issue is literally on the ballot.
“These purple and red states … really showed that voters will come out to protect abortion access, regardless of whether or not it’s on the ballot as an initiative or as a legislative action, or if it’s a big contrast between the two candidates,” said Kate Letzler Moore, who is managing former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s (D-Fla.) Senate campaign.