MEMO: How Democrats Are Using Abortion in Their Closing Pitch

TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Reproductive Freedom for All
RE: How Democrats Are Using Abortion in Their Closing Pitch
DATE: October 27, 2026

With one week until Election Day, Democrats in races up and down the ticket are making reproductive freedom a central closing argument. Across ads, debate stages, and campaign events, candidates are exposing Republicans’ support for abortion bans while emphasizing their own records protecting access to care.

Republicans’ response shows the contrast, and proves just how motivating reproductive freedom is to voters: They are scrubbing abortion positions from their websites and distancing themselves from their anti-abortion records because they know their extremism is disqualifying with voters.

Our battleground polling shows why. In our testing, messages about Republicans’ proposed abortion restrictions moved support by as much as five points and significantly increased motivation among independents. Support for a national abortion ban is among the most disqualifying positions for a candidate – on par with support for Medicaid cuts and raising taxes on the middle class.

The threats to our rights and freedoms are real. While the White House is currently delaying action to restrict abortion access for fear of voter backlash, they’ve promised “the gloves will be off” once the midterms are over. It’s clear Republicans are planning to use every lever of government to enact a national abortion ban after the election.

Democrats Are Closing on Abortion

Reproductive freedom is not a siloed, culture war issue – and voters know that. It is deeply tied to Democrats’ closing message around affordability. As Democrats hold Republicans accountable for soaring costs, the cost of raising a family is intrinsically part of that conversation. Our polling shows nearly 75% of voters say that their personal financial situation is a major factor when deciding to have a child.

Democrats are putting that polling into practice as November nears. Ads blanketing the airwaves in top races are calling out Republicans as anti-abortion extremists who back dangerous abortion bans and support Medicaid cuts that are raising costs and stripping access.

ABORTION-FOCUSED ADS: 

• Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed put out a direct-to-camera ad last week touting his support as a doctor for women making their own health care decisions, and slamming Mike Rogers’ support for extreme abortion bans.
• Maine: Troy Jackson has repeatedly hammered Susan Collins on the airwaves around her vote to confirm Kavanaugh, drawing stark contrast with his leadership around expanding reproductive freedom in the state legislature.
• Arizona: Amish Shah (AZ-01) is running ads touting his support for abortion access and his opposition to Medicaid cuts, as abortion becomes a “hot topic” in this key battleground race.
• New Hampshire: Chris Pappas is on the airwaves hitting John Sununu’s anti-abortion record, including supporting an abortion ban, denying women life-saving care, and backing the justices that overturned Roe.
• Minnesota: Peggy Flanagan is running ads slamming Michele Tafoya for calling abortion “borderline barbaric” and pledging to vote for all of Trump’s anti-abortion judges.
• Florida: Democrats facing tough fights, including Jared Moskowitz (FL-25), are running digital ads touting their support for reproductive freedom.

DEBATES: 

• Maine: Troy Jackson has used several debate stages to tie Collins to her Kavanaugh vote – including asking Collins whether she regretted voting for Kavanaugh during their first debate.
• Minnesota: Peggy Flanagan held Michele Tafoya’s feet to the fire for her support for anti-abortion Trump judges and her pledge to align with Trump on the issue.
• Georgia: Sen. Jon Ossoff put Mike Collins on the spot over his past support for a total abortion ban, pressing Collins to explain his alleged shifting position.
• Georgia: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms pushed Rick Jackson – who didn’t even bother to show up for the debate – to answer for his claim that victims of rape should have to “prove it” before they can qualify for an exemption from Georgia’s abortion ban.
• New York: In one of the most competitive congressional races, Cait Conley (NY-17) slammed Mike Lawler’s past votes to restrict access to abortion care and deny funding for Planned Parenthood.
• Florida: In the tight congressional race in Florida’s 14th district, Rep. Kathy Castor criticized state Rep. Mike Beltran’s support for a near-total ban on abortion that would criminalize health care providers.

EVENTS: 

• California: Randy Villegas (CA-22) hosted a roundtable to highlight the impacts of David Valadao’s vote for Medicaid cuts and his anti-abortion record, alongside Reproductive Freedom for All and End Citizens United.
• Maine: Troy Jackson launched a “Women for Troy” coalition alongside Mini Timmaraju, during which he slammed Collins’ vote to confirm Kavanaugh and spoke to his evolution on reproductive freedom.
• Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed hosted a provider roundtable alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris and Mini Timmaraju focused on Black maternal health and Mike Rogers’ anti-abortion extremism. Christina Hines and Will Lawrence have both held events mobilizing voters around reproductive freedom, drawing contrast to their anti-abortion opponents. In the race for Lieutenant Governor, Democratic Winnie Brinks held a presser slamming her GOP opponent Jay DeBoyer for floating new limits on abortion in the state via a constitutional convention.
• Pennsylvania: Congressional candidate Bob Brooks (PA-07) toured an independent abortion clinic in Allentown to meet with healthcare staff, and then hosted a roundtable with Reproductive Freedom for All to discuss Ryan Mackenzie’s attacks on abortion access.
• Arizona: Governor Katie Hobbs hosted a canvass kickoff with Mini Timmaraju and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to mobilize voters in Phoenix around reproductive freedom. JoAnna Mendoza and Amish Shah have both hosted roundtables on the landscape of abortion access in the state.
• North Carolina: Sen. Raphael Warnock and Mini Timmaraju campaigned for Roy Cooper’s campaign, mobilizing voters and highlighting Cooper’s support for reproductive freedom compared to Michael Whatley’s extremism.
• Wisconsin: Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley held a presser announcing his support for putting the right to abortion in the state constitution, drawing contrast to Republican Tom Tiffany, who supports restrictions and banning abortion without exceptions.

Republicans are Running from Their Anti-Abortion Records

Republicans’ closing strategy provides its own evidence that abortion is moving voters. Across competitive races, candidates are deleting anti-abortion positions from their websites, refusing to acknowledge their opposition to reproductive rights, and attempting to rebrand themselves as moderates without accounting for their records.

WEBSITE COVER-UPS:

• Arizona: Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs erased every reference to abortion from his campaign website—an unmistakable attempt to hide an anti-abortion agenda he knows is deeply unpopular with voters.
• Michigan: Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-04) removed language from his campaign website declaring that protecting life “beginning with conception” could not be compromised. Taking down the language does not change his record or the threat he poses to reproductive freedom.
• Pennsylvania: After the primary, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) removed several references to his anti-abortion positions—including his endorsement from the anti-abortion Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation—as he entered one of the country’s most competitive House races.
• They are not alone. Bryan Steil (WI-01) and Michele Tafoya (MN) are also hiding the truth about their anti-abortion records and positions.

ATTEMPTING TO WALK BACK ANTI-ABORTION EXTREMISM:

Some Republicans are making desperate and disingenuous attempts to walk back their extreme anti-abortion records and positions. This isn’t a coincidence – Republicans understand anti-abortion extremism poses a real threat and is disqualifying for many voters. But it’s too little, too late to pull the wool over voters’ eyes.

• Michigan: Republican gubernatorial candidate John James was caught on a hot mic this summer promising to pass the “most conservative, most pro-life bill,” but is now saying that abortion is “decided.”
• Wisconsin: GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany previously supported a state ban on abortion, but now claims abortion is “settled law” in the state.
• Pennsylvania: Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity previously called on abortion opponents in states to “engage and make a difference” after the fall of Roe, but is now claiming she would “respect” the state’s current law.
• Minnesota: Republican Michele Tafoya celebrated the overturning of Roe, but in a recent ad casts herself as a “pro-choice Republican.”

ABORTION IS ON THE BALLOT

Beyond these key races, abortion is also shaping the political landscape through four ballot measures this year. Since the fall of Roe, abortion-related ballot measures have consistently mobilized voters across red, blue, and purple states. Voters in 16 states have backed ballot measures to expand abortion rights since 2022 – with more to come this year.

Here are the abortion ballot measures shaping the landscape in 2026:

• Nevada: Question 6 is on the ballot to permanently protect the right to abortion in Nevada. This measure passed in 2024 with 64% support, but must pass twice to become enshrined in the state constitution, placing the right beyond the reach of future legislatures. Reproductive Freedom for All is on the ground in Nevada helping shape strategy and mobilize voters.
• Virginia: Question 1 is a constitutional amendment to protect the right to abortion, birth control, miscarriage treatment, IVF, and access to a full spectrum of reproductive health care in Virginia. Reproductive Freedom for All is working closely with organizers to help strategize and gin up voter turnout.
• Idaho: Reproductive Freedom for All is supporting Proposition One, which is a citizen-led ballot initiative to repeal Idaho’s abortion ban, which is among the strictest in the country. If Proposition One is enacted, the measure would establish a law to protect “reproductive freedom” and empower patients to make decisions around fertility treatment, contraception, and abortion.
• Missouri (anti): Republicans are trying to subvert the will of voters with a ballot measure that would restore a near-total abortion ban, undoing a constitutional amendment that passed in 2024 and overturned the state’s abortion ban. Republicans are using anti-trans tactics and confusing language to try to swindle voters into repealing abortion rights that they just passed. Reproductive Freedom for All is supporting the effort pushing back against this anti-abortion measure.

When abortion is on the ballot – it overwhelmingly wins with voters. Reproductive Freedom for All is translating this energy into our midterm strategy and mobilizing voters to deliver key wins across the country.

Reproductive Freedom For All’s Impact

Reproductive Freedom for All launched our historic $23.5 million My Body. My Ballot. midterm campaign early to ensure voters understood what was at stake. The program includes a seven-figure paid communications campaign, a $2 million organizing investment across battleground states, 250 events hosted, and direct voter contact that has already reached more than 200,000 doors.

Our ads and mailers have exposed Republicans’ anti-abortion records in decisive races in Maine, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Florida. Our organizers and 4.5 million members are mobilizing voters across Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, and California. Our robust ground game is ensuring voters are armed with the knowledge of which candidates will protect reproductive freedom – and who’s trying to take away their rights.

The election will determine whether the administration’s threats advance unchecked or encounter meaningful opposition in Congress and across the states. Democrats are closing the campaign by speaking to the majority: Eight in 10 Americans support legal abortion. While Democrats hone in on abortion in the final stretch, Republicans’ retreat from their own records shows they understand the political danger of their agenda.