Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Democratic women candidates are leaning into a new political strategy: sharing their personal abortion stories.<\/p>\n
Marilyn Lands\u2019 bid to represent a Northern Alabama state House district was all about reproductive rights \u2014 and she spoke openly about a nonviable pregnancy that ended in abortion. The Democrat shocked even her own supporters when she crushed her Republican opponent<\/a> in a special election on Tuesday by a whopping 25 points.<\/p>\n It was a gamble in a staunchly conservative state that paid off.<\/p>\n Lands is just one of a growing number of women in state legislatures from Arizona to Georgia who are choosing to speak openly about their own abortion experiences. It\u2019s an emotional decision they say helps shape the abortion debate in personal terms and drives voters to the polls. It also marks a major shift in public consciousness as more women, including politicians, feel comfortable talking about a procedure that was often kept secret.<\/p>\n Democrats have capitalized on the Supreme Court\u2019s unpopular 2022 ruling overturning abortion rights, winning referendums restoring reproductive rights even in deep red states and focusing on the issue to energize campaigns. Now they\u2019re taking that messaging a step further by speaking directly of their own experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cI never really was conflicted about whether I should share the story or not,\u201d Lands said in an interview. \u201cIt just felt like the right thing to do at this moment in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, Arizona Rep. Eva Burch went viral for speaking on the state House floor about the obstacles she\u2019s encountered<\/a> trying to end a pregnancy.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time you make something personal, it resonates,\u201d said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in an interview. \u201cThe storytelling is authentic and that is very meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n The Alabama election underscores Democrats\u2019 success since the midterms with campaigning on abortion access \u2014 and party leaders are hopeful that Lands\u2019 victory opens up a new frontier in the fight to gain ground in states where the GOP dominates. Lands ran for the seat in 2022 and lost by seven points.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly it can be an effective tactic,\u201d said Alex Conant, a veteran Republican strategist. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of making sure abortion is top of mind for voters when it is core to one of the candidates\u2019 identities.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet Conant cautioned against reading too much into a special election where turnout was miniscule. Just 5,965 ballots were cast in the district that includes parts of Huntsville and Madison, making up less than 2 percent of the electorate, according to the latest unofficial election results<\/a>. Residents of the district are younger, more educated and make more money than the rest of the state.<\/p>\n Lands also recognizes that her election does little to tip the balance of power in Montgomery, where Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, as well as occupy every statewide office. But she says that Tuesday\u2019s result shows voters are ready for new representation in the state capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n