John,

Last night “Red State'' Ohio stunned the political world with an overwhelming rejection of a GOP attempt to hijack its democracy. By a 57-43 margin, voters blocked a measure that would require a supermajority to pass an amendment to protect women’s reproductive rights. The concerted effort by Ohio Republicans like US Congressman Jim Jordan to jam this obstruction into place is a reminder of how determined the Republican Party is to double down on the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision which opened the door to abortion bans.

In Washington, I see this agenda playing out all the time. Republicans use every opportunity to enact abortion bans — even aimed at the 400,000 female service members who wear the uniform of our nation and over a million female veterans who receive their health care from the VA.

Yes — that’s true. Just weeks ago House Republicans voted to prohibit the right to a safe and legal abortion from active duty service members and banned abortions in VA Healthcare — even in cases where the life of the patient is at risk. These divisive measures were stuffed into the annual Defense and Veterans Affairs spending bills that barely passed on party line votes — the measures traditionally garner broad bipartisan support. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies have no regard for protecting these measures from hard core partisanship — a complete departure from past practice.

The voters of Ohio demonstrated yesterday how completely out of touch McCarthy, Jim Jordan and the fringe Freedom Caucus are with the broad majority of Americans.

Here in the 2nd District, we decisively defeated a GOP candidate in the last election who is a full-throated supporter of the Dobbs decision and who also had the blessing — and financial help from Kevin McCarthy. Ohio may seem like a long way from eastern Connecticut but it’s not. McCarthy’s strategy in 2024 is to go after “Blue State” districts, putting districts like ours squarely in his sights.

The people of Ohio provided both a reminder and inspiration of how voters can resist attempts to turn the clock back on basic freedoms — such as the right of women to make their own choices regarding their health care.

I stand in solidarity with and am grateful to the voters of Ohio — and make no mistake, John, districts like ours could be next in this all-out assault on reproductive freedom. We must remain vigilant and steadfast in our fight to protect what is right.

— Joe