Iowa Democrats focus on abortion backlash for November election, per NYT
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Iowa Democrats are counting on public backlash against the state's new six-week abortion ban to help them win over moderates and independents in the race for Iowa's 1st and 3rd U.S. House seats, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The Iowa races are being closely watched (and heavily funded) as Democrats try to win the U.S. House majority.
- Both districts are home to liberal metro and conservative rural constituencies, so the key to winning them will likely be independent and crossover voters.
Context: Iowa enacted one of the country's strictest abortion bans this summer, prohibiting most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or saving the life of the patient.
Yes, but: A September Iowa Poll by the Des Moines Register showed 59% of Iowans oppose the "fetal heartbeat law" (with a 3.4 point margin of error).
State of play: Although Republican U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn and Marianette Miller-Meeks were not directly involved in the statewide ban, their Democratic challengers are tying them to it, pointing to previous anti-abortion positions they've taken.
Zoom in: In one ad, Miller-Meeks' Democratic challenger in the 1st District, Christina Bohannan, highlights that the congresswoman cosponsored a 2021 bill granting "personhood" to fertilized eggs, effectively criminalizing abortions without exceptions.
- Miller-Meeks told the Times she backed the bill with the expectation she could make changes and said she supports exceptions. She's among a dozen Republican lawmakers distancing themselves from the measure this session, the Times reports.
Plus: In his own ad, Lanon Baccam, the Democratic challenger in Iowa's 3rd District, surfaces a moment in a 2022 Republican primary debate in which Nunn raised his hand when asked "Should all abortions be illegal in this country?"
- Nunn's campaign has said the ad is deceitful and that he supports exceptions for rape, incest and saving the life of the mother, the Times reports.