Abortion issues heat up Richmond's first mayoral election post-Roe
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Abortion is taking center stage in Richmond's first mayoral election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Why it matters: Local officials actually play a key role in determining access in Virginia. Policies like zoning dictate where an abortion clinic can or cannot exist, according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation.
For example, Washington County in Southwest Virginia passed an ordinance restricting where an abortion clinic can be built last year.
- Alexandria City Council did the opposite and made it easier to open abortion clinics.
Zoom in: Richmond transferred an old school site over to the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood to build a third clinic in the city.
- That was via an ordinance co-sponsored by Mayor Stoney and city councilman and mayoral candidate Andreas Addison this summer.
Yes, but: Candidates aren't exactly explaining that process or the authority a mayor does or doesn't have in protecting abortion in Richmond — making abortion more of a talking point than a concrete policy proposal.
- And as Election Day nears, some of Richmond's mayoral candidates are increasingly using abortion rights as a way to go after their opponents.
Driving the news: In Tuesday's mayoral forum, Harrison Roday came for Danny Avula over whether he actually supports abortion access.
- Avula, a pediatrician who's been criticized for accepting donations from someone once tied to an anti-abortion group, shot back by saying he's spent a decade "drawing in new resources" to expand access to reproductive healthcare.
- Michelle Mosby, the only Black woman running, noted she's the sole candidate who has experience with women's reproductive healthcare as a patient. The fifth candidate is Maurice Neblett.
The latest: An Axios reporter received a mail flier from New Virginia Majority, authorized by Roday, on Wednesday once again calling into doubt Avula's pro-abortion stances.
- "Voters deserve to know the differences between the candidates, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade," Katie Baker, a spokeswoman for Roday, told Axios of the mailer.
- Avula's campaign manager Lawson Wijesooriya said that "Mr. Roday is spreading falsehoods, and the people of Richmond can see through his divisive rhetoric — it's not what our city needs."
Between the lines: It's unclear whether these back-and-forths on one of the most hot-button topics of the year will sway voters and affect the election's outcome.
- But it could signal who the candidates see as their greatest competition.
Go deeper: The candidates running to be Richmond's next mayor
Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from Roday and Avula's campaigns