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OK, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE? In the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, many Democrats believe they can make abortion the key issue of the midterm elections. Some Republicans scoff at the idea. But it is important to say that while Democrats may not be able to make abortion the issue of 2022, some Democrats will undoubtedly have some success using abortion against some Republican candidates. But the question remains: Just what is the most important issue of the midterm elections? A new poll from Fox News confirmed again that it is, as it has always been, the economy. The poll, of 1,201 registered voters taken from Sept. 9-12, asked, "If you had to pick the one issue that will motivate you to vote this year, what would you say that is?" The top five issues were, as described by Fox News: Inflation/Cost of living/Gas prices 19%
Abortion/Roe v. Wade 16%
Jobs/Economy 15%
Voting out Democrats/Anti-Biden 7%
Immigration 6% Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue! Below that, 4% of respondents named climate change as their most important issue. Four percent named "Voting out Republicans/Anti-Trump." Two percent named healthcare. Two percent named "Social issues/Racial injustice." Just 1% named gun laws, and just 1% named crime. So what is the top issue? Like many pollsters, Fox divided the categories of Inflation/Cost of living/Gas prices, on one hand, and Jobs/Economy on the other. But in reading the poll, and voters' intentions, it is fair to combine the two. And in that case, 34% of respondents named the combined inflation-economy category as their most important issue. That is more than twice as many as named abortion. That does not mean abortion is not an issue. It is. It outranked, for example, immigration. And it far outranked crime. So it makes sense that Democrats would push it hard. After all, what are they going to say about inflation, given that their own actions — passing enormous spending bills and, in President Joe Biden's case, forgiving student loan debt — have made inflation worse? Are they going to base their campaign on the misleadingly named Inflation Reduction Act, which no one believes will actually reduce inflation — and even if it did, would not do so until years in the future? So they will hit Republicans on abortion. And they will score in some races. But conservatives should remember: This is what they wanted. The sort of debate that is going on now in states around the country, hashing out abortion policy through elections and legislation rather than through a nationwide decree by unelected judges, is precisely what conservatives wanted when they pushed to repeal Roe v. Wade. If they lose some of those contests in this year's elections, well, that's politics. Former Vice President Mike Pence recognized that fact in an interview this week when he expressed support for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's proposal to ban most abortions at 15 weeks nationwide. Working for that sort of legislation, Pence told RealClearPolitics, "is profoundly more important than any short-term politics." The midterm elections, now less than eight weeks away, are the very definition of short-term politics. The abortion issue might hurt some Republican candidates. But many more voters are more motivated by the traditional concerns about the economy, and on that, Republicans have a clear edge. For a deeper dive into many of the topics covered in the Daily Memo, please listen to my podcast, The Byron York Show — available on the Ricochet Audio Network and everywhere else podcasts can be found. You can use this link to subscribe.
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