Article Author:
Associated Press
Harm Venhuizen
Milwaukee (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic candidate faces key race for governor and senator supports abortion rights I hope that The Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade can overcome midterm headwinds long expected to favor Republicans. But he has one important group whose strategy may fail to mobilize. It's black voters.
An issue that has strong support from white Democrats is more complicated in the black community, especially among church members with more conservative views on abortion. This topic is so complicated that most community organizers avoid it.
"The black Baptist church alone will divide us in half," he said, a faith-based organizing group that exists statewide. WISDOM executive his director David Liners said when asked. Why isn't his group organized around abortion? Karen Royster, a spokeswoman for Milwaukee-based Souls to the Polls, says abortion is "taboo" in church circles, making it difficult for religious leaders to address it.
Other groups, such as the Black Leaders Organizing Communities, "do not actively raise this issue" when conducting voter outreach, but discuss it when it arises. said Angela Lang, Executive Director of BLOC.
After last week's decisive statewide vote in favor of protecting access to abortion in the highly Republican state of Kansas, the issue will receive more attention.
AP VoteCast found that, overall, abortion should generally be legal for black voters in the 2020 presidential election than for white or Hispanic voters. It indicates that there is a high possibility that But among those who sympathized with or leaned toward the Democratic Party, the situation looked different.
Valerie Langston, a 64-year-old Milwaukee black woman, supports the Democratic Party and advocates for abortion rights. support. She said she was afraid to bring up the issue with her friends because she was sometimes surprised to learn that some of them were against abortion. Even without it, they're still going to vote Democrat," she said.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who won the election four years ago by just over 1 percent of his points, said he wasn't worried about voter enthusiasm. He noted that he had rejected nine bills from the Republican-controlled Congress that would limit access to abortion. At a press conference, he expressed confidence that the issue would lead him to re-election. When asked if he would, he replied, "I don't think there will be a problem."
A Wisconsin doctor said Republican lawmakers wanted to renew his 1849 ban to stop offering abortions after a Supreme Court ruling. Anti-abortion groups say they will work to clarify the law to counter the allegations.
Senator La Tonya Johnson, a black Democrat who represents Milwaukee's black-majority constituency, said many voters are focusing on economic issues. . She said she had never seen a group go door-to-door to discuss abortion rights, even though Black women are more likely to have an abortion than any other group, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party's engagement team, which works directly with voters of color year-round, likes voter-led conversations, spokeswoman Iris Reese said. said Mr. When it comes to abortion, "It's not the only thing we're talking to voters about, but we're talking about it," she said.
Shakya, executive director of 1000 Women Strong Cherry-Donaldson, a national political organization group focused on issues important to black women, advocates a more direct approach. The key, she said, is to focus on the idea that "we must have national autonomy." This message is enough to resonate with historically marginalized communities and to overcome personal and religious views on the morality of abortion.
's message is that there is no turning back, only forward. Civil rights have been won for all of us," said Cherry Donaldson.
But her group was able to move beyond Wisconsin this year to focus, staff, and fund work in seven of her other states.
Pal Shah, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee whose research focuses on race, ethnicity, and politics, said Democrats were more concerned about issues such as crime and voting rights. Said it's better to make sure the message gets out. She focuses on specific issues like abortion.
"In general, single-issue voting is not common among Democrats, but among black women who have been the backbone of Democratic voter turnout for at least the last decade. Especially so," said Shah.
The Republican strategy and message for appealing to black voters for abortion has been the same for decades, even in the interim period.
Gerald Randall, chairman of the Wisconsin Republican African-American Council, said, "What we're trying to do is stop the excess of abortion being forced on African-American women."
"I am sure you will hear similar messages of restraint coming from many church pulpits when it comes to access to abortion," he said.
Still, Wisconsin Democrats see the issue as key to winning both the gubernatorial and Senate races this fall.
Most people in the United States want Congress to pass legislation that guarantees access to legal abortion nationwide, according to a poll by the Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs. An overwhelming majority believe states should allow abortion in certain cases, including women's health and rape.
Lieutenant Governor Mandela Burns, a black Democratic front-runner in Wisconsin's Senate race, emphasizes access to abortion as a civil right. In his latest TV ad, growing up in Milwaukee, Barnes and his mother talk about their decision to end a complicated pregnancy.LaJuan Barnes emphasizes that she had a choice.
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Harm Venhuizen is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover hidden issues. Follow Harm on Twitter.
