The next big abortion battleground: Pennsylvania

[JoeOtterbein]

Politico

Once-sleepy state Supreme Court races hit a new nerve in a post-Roe world.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

08/27/2023 07:00 AM EDT

PHILADELPHIA — Less than a month after their double-digit victory on abortion rights in Ohio, Democrats are preparing to pour millions of dollars into the next big battlefront over the hot-button policy.

Across the border in Pennsylvania, a seat on the state Supreme Court is up for grabs this November, and a Democrat who has vowed to protect “women’s reproductive rights” is running against a Republican who’s promised to defend “all life under the law.”

The major showdown over a state Supreme Court seat signals that these once little-noticed elections have become expensive, high-stakes affairs after the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. A pro-Democratic super PAC is quietly gearing up to make abortion the centerpiece of the campaign. Planned Parenthood has already waded into the contest. And some top Democrats in the state are even predicting that the race may be a repeat of this year’s Supreme Court election in Wisconsin, in which a liberal candidate won decisively after putting abortion front and center.

“The abortion issue will likely be the single biggest issue in the Pa. Supreme Court race,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.). “Just a few months ago, in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, abortion was the single biggest reason why Democrats won by over 10 points. I could see something similar happening in Pa.”

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