Democrats split on all-in-on-abortion plan for '24

• But some Democrats wonder if relentlessly focusing on abortion could drown out their messaging on an improving economy and protecting democracy from the forces that led to Jan. 6 — themes they hope will resonate more with voters than polls suggest.
• The concern is that abortion rights — while highly motivating for the Democratic base — might not attract enough swing voters who are more concerned about inflation, crime and immigration.

Between the lines: And then there's the Joe Biden Factor.

• "I happen to be a practicing Catholic. I'm not big on abortion," Biden told donors at a fundraiser in June — while also mentioning his support for abortion rights under Roe v. Wade, the abortion-access standard overturned last year by the conservative-led Supreme Court.
• For the vast majority of his half-century in national politics, Biden opposed federal funding for abortion — reversing his position only under pressure in 2019, as he ran for president.
• As the Democratic Party's leader, he's made abortion rights part of his political identity: His support of access to abortion was featured prominently in his campaign's launch video in April.
• Since then, however, the overwhelming majority of the ads in his initial $25 million ad buy have focused on the economy — as he tries to convince a skeptical public that Bidenomics is working for them.

What they're saying: The GOP's attack on abortion rights in several states "is alienating a large percentage of the electorate in this country, and Republicans have doubled down on it,' said former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat. "This issue is not going away."

• But "we got to be out there in a positive way," McAuliffe added. "We have to talk about a whole basket of issues."
• Abortion "should certainly be one of the issues that Democrats run on," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), but "obviously there are really important issues regarding the economy and other pocketbook issues."

Other voices in Democratic circles insist the party can't talk about abortion enough.

• "Abortion is health care, it's economic, and it's about fundamental freedoms," Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) told Axios.
• "We are not going to let anyone tell us that we talk about it too much on the campaign trail. Because every time we talk about it, we win."

Flashback: Some Democrats look back to then-Sen. Mark Udall's (D-Colo.) loss in 2014 as an example of a candidate who focused too much on one issue — women's access to contraception and abortion.

• A debate moderator once referred to him as "Mark Uterus."

Zoom out: Less than a year from the 2024 election, Biden's campaign is bracing for a close contest.

• Unemployment is low and the economy is growing at nearly 5% a year, but voters seem more concerned about stubbornly high prices — even as Biden points out that inflation is coming down.
• Economic polls for Biden are brutal. In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, just 19% of respondents said the economy was "good" or "excellent."
• Some 46% of Americans say Biden's policies have hurt them, a recent Yahoo Finance/Ipsos poll found.
• Meanwhile, voters' concerns about the 80-year-old president's age persist — though many voters also say the same about likely GOP nominee Donald Trump, 77.

Zoom in: Biden's team scoffs at public surveys and notes that Democrats have over-performed at the polls since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

• Tuesday's results "proved the pollsters and pundits wrong once again" Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Biden-Harris campaign, wrote in a memo.
• Vice President Harris said that voters on Tuesday essentially said, "Look, the government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body."

The bottom line: Biden, with $91 million in campaign cash on hand, will be able to broadcast different messages on different frequencies.

• But voters' attention spans are limited — and Biden likely will need more than abortion rights in his favor to stay in the White House.