What about protecting the sanctity of life?
As we analyze the election results, the news on the life issue is mixed. The good news is that nearly half the states have very strong protections for children in the womb and their mothers After Roe—with eight more having at least some good protections. In other words, most states had already decided to be pro-life or pro-abortion After Roe before voting ever started for the midterm election.
The bad news is that in the five states (California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont) where abortion was on the ballot, the pro-abortion side won in each of those states. The results in California and Vermont were no surprise. However, the tough fight in Michigan and the losses in Kentucky and Montana were disappointing. In some ways, these states were the victims of unfortunate timing – fighting this battle at a time when the Left was at maximum motivation following major pro-life victories.
Fearing a more pro-life America, Planned Parenthood alone invested a record-setting $50 million in elections, and Democrats nearly unanimously fell in line—making abortion their number one campaign issue.
Despite the heavy investment, the U.S. House seems likely to flip to Republican control, which will stop the extreme abortion-on-demand up to birth approach that Nancy Pelosi’s House has taken. And there were many victories for pro-life candidates across the country, at all levels of government but especially in state-level offices. These are fantastic victories!
Many political commentators are noting that the big stories from last night are the decisive victories for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. All of these big winners were unabashedly pro-life candidates—and that’s an important lesson for other candidates to learn.
The bottom line is that despite over half the states having moved to protect the sanctity of life, Democrats still ran on abortion—too often against Republicans who spoke apologetically about their pro-life position. Confident, bold leadership to protect life can win, as the governors mentioned above demonstrate.
The overturning of Roe was a critical win—and it has already led to the saving of many thousands of babies. But as we said before—and this election proves—the road to making abortion unthinkable is a long one that will require our diligence and commitment. The next stage of that road is right around the corner, with pivotal 2023 state legislative sessions and the start of the 2024 presidential race. You are right in the middle of that through your support of Family Policy Alliance and our allied state organizations.
Congressional Updates
Though the House has not yet been called for Republicans, it seems poised to flip—making it a little friendlier for families. For the last two years, Nancy Pelosi’s House has sought to out-radicalize itself. Whether it was pushing to force all Americans to comply with radical gender ideology, or proposing legal abortion on-demand up to the moment of birth, Democrat priorities were dangerous for families and wildly out of touch with the majority of Americans.
Now, the people’s house has the chance to live up to its name. Instead of punishing parents, lawmakers should protect them. Rather than forcing irreversible body changes on children, they can focus on protecting the women and children victimized by radical gender ideology. And in a world after Roe v. Wade, lawmakers have an opportunity to go full steam ahead to support mothers and their babies, rather than wasting time and resources to legally take the lives of the youngest Americans.
Family Policy Alliance is preparing even now to help these newly elected leaders prioritize family values in the new Congress. Even if the Senate remains under Sen. Schumer’s leadership, the House has the opportunity to prioritize families and serve as an important goalie in blocking woke DC ideology pedaled by President Biden and his allies in the Senate.
Thank you for joining us for election night live updates and today’s analysis! With America looking for real leaders, we are already building out training (including on how to protect life After Roe) for elected leaders at all levels of government. We’re starting the work of preparing for the 2024 presidential election now. And, we’re busy preparing for the 2023 legislative session with plenty of pro-life, pro-family, pro-religious freedom policy solutions.
We aren’t slowing down, and we hope you’ll be in the race with us!
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