Abortion will be at best third, behind the economy (inflation) and immigration.
I’m 100% pro-life, but I don’t think it’s politically viable to say that abortion is now an issue for the states, after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, but then to turn around and make it a federal issue again by trying to pass a federal ban. Before we go any farther with this issue, we first have to decide upon a consistent position. Is it a states’ rights issue, or is it a federal issue? It can’t be both.
I believe that the life of any person, born or unborn, can’t be up to the varying whims of state law. We don’t treat murder that way, and abortion IS murder. It is wholly appropriate and necessary for fundamental rights to be protected at the federal level. BUT, right now in the wake of the end of Roe v. Wade, our side’s position on this issue is incoherent. Our representatives keep talking about abortion being a state issue, usually in order to deflect the ridiculous panic over ending Roe v. Wade, but then turn around and talk about enacting a federal ban. That contradiction is a sure-fire way to cause independent or only nominally Republican voters to distrust Republicans.
We shouldn’t compromise our principles in order to try to reel in more votes at the margins, but on the other hand we are facing an uphill battle on this issue and as we have seen before, it has the potential to derail any given election. I think Trump has been wise to finesse the issue a bit in this election, because if we don’t regain power we have no ability to do anything.