PHOENIX, May 9 (Reuters) – Laura Wilson is a mother of three living in the vast suburbs of North Phoenix, a fierce constituency in Arizona that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate after the November congressional election.
Wilson, 61, is up for election, voted for Democratic President Joe Biden, and knew the news last week that the U.S. Supreme Court was likely ready to overturn the iconic 1973 Rowe v. Wade ruling giving women the right to abortion.
Still, Wilson said she has not decided who she will vote for this November, and abortion rights are not a priority for her.
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“These are the economy and jobs,” Wilson said. She said she was disappointed with Biden because of high inflation and “too many homeless people on the streets.”
Wilson was one of 21 women interviewed by Reuters in the northern suburbs of Phoenix – a key area for Democratic Senator Mark Kelly’s efforts to retain his seat – after news broke of a draft Supreme Court ruling. Most women said that inflation, not abortion, was the most exciting issue for them.
Significantly, the interviewees were from a key demographic – mothers from the suburbs – who are hotly sought after by both Democrats and Republicans in elections.
Interviews, while not a large sample, provide a sobering reminder to Democrats that inflation – which has peaked in 40 years – remains a pressing issue for most Americans who are struggling with rising food and fuel costs. Biden’s assessments in opinion polls on his economic policy.
`MAIN, MAIN ISSUES`
Democrats, who are facing heavy winds to keep their weak majority in the US Congress, have taken advantage of a bomb blast from the majority’s draft opinion from the country’s supreme court that states should decide on access to abortion.
Democrats said they hope it will help mobilize Democrat voters, especially women, in an election year as the party struggles to counter the enthusiasm of Republicans, who are believed to win at least the House of Representatives and probably the Senate.
Arizona is one of a handful of Senate races in November that will decide control of the upper house, which is now controlled by Democrats. It is one of more than 20 Republican-run states where there will be an almost immediate ban on many abortions if the Supreme Court decides to overturn Roe’s decision. The decision is expected in June.
Maria Alvarez, 46, a mother and real estate agent, said she was in favor of the choice, but “I really don’t have a strong opinion.” She wants politicians who will take care of the problems of pocket books. She had just graduated from a grocery store that cost her $ 400, twice as much as she had paid a year ago.
Of the 21 women interviewed by Reuters, five said they were for life and Republicans, while 16 said they were for the election. Only two of the 16 said the issue was a top priority for them in the November vote, while half of the 16 did not decide who to vote for in the Senate race due to economic concerns. The other half said they would probably vote for a Democrat.
All the women live in the northern suburbs of Phoenix, a densely populated part of Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona. These suburbs were pro-Republican, but have become more evenly divided in recent election cycles and are a target for both parties.
Reproductive rights protesters march to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Cavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Maryland, near Washington, USA, May 7, 2022. REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein
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Christy Johnson, 51, described herself as an independent voter. She voted for former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020, but voted for Democrats. Abortion rights are important to her, but inflation is a ‘major, fundamental problem’ for her, along with climate change.
Sherika Bailey, 33, burst into tears when she spoke of her two abortions. Now she is strongly against abortion and says she will vote for a Republican and for any candidate who is in favor of life.
“I support the repeal of Roe against Wade. I had an abortion in a very dark period of my life. I was naive and stupid,” she said.
Polls show that most Americans support a woman’s right to an abortion. A majority of Americans – about 70% – believe that abortion should be legal in most cases, according to polls.
THE PARTIES MOBILIZE
Democrats and Republicans are already mobilizing around the issue, sending emails and fundraising letters, knocking on doors and making advertisements.
Last week, the Arizona Democratic Party held a press conference in front of the Arizona State Capitol, focusing on Kelly’s candidacy for re-election and the threat to abortion rights from his Republicans.
“It’s very important to choose candidates this fall,” said Rebecca Rios, a top Democrat in the Arizona Senate.
However, a spokesman for Kelly’s campaign seems to admit in a statement to Reuters that inflation remains the elephant in the room for most voters.
“Arizona women know they can count on Kelly to continue working to protect access to abortion, lower costs for hard-working families, and at the same time get our economy back on track,” said spokeswoman Sarah Guggenheimer.
Kelly will find his opponent after the Republican primary vote on August 2. One of the contenders, the Blake Masters, told Reuters: “Progressive activists hoped they could provoke some outrage about abortion, but it has the opposite effect.”
Two other leading Republican Senate candidates, Arizona Attorney General Mark Bernovich and businessman Jim Lamman – both opponents of abortion – did not respond to a request for comment.
Stu Rothenberg, a non-partisan political analyst, said it was unclear that the abortion issue would change the Democrats’ game this November.
“The biggest problem is still inflation and the economy,” he said.
(This story corrects the title of Sarah Guggenheimer from a spokesperson for the Kelly Senate office to a spokesperson for the Kelly campaign in paragraph 21)
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Report by Tim Reed; Edited by Ross Colvin and Andrea Ritchie
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