Abortion Rights May Rest On Governor’s Races

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — All four leading Republicans in Pennsylvania’s governor’s race have vowed to ban abortion if given the chance. In Georgia, one top Republican candidate for governor wants to outlaw all abortions. The sitting Republican governor is backed by the anti-abortion lobby, but refuses to clarify his position. And in Michigan, all but one of the five leading Republicans running for governor oppose abortion even in cases of rape or incest. The fight for Congress often dominates midterm elections, but the revelation this week that the Supreme Court may soon overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision has thrust candidates for governor — and their positions on abortion — into the forefront of the 2022 campaign. Some states, including Pennsylvania and Georgia, have primary elections this month, but the ultimate fight won’t be decided until the November general election. In a handful of battleground states with Republican-controlled state legislatures, every GOP candidate for governor supports severe abortion restrictions, if not a complete ban with no exceptions. That’s prompting urgent warnings from Democrats that women’s access to abortion in some states may rest almost entirely on which party wins the governor’s race this fall.