{"id":15233311,"date":"2026-07-29T23:27:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/abortion-matters-to-voters-but-it-may-not-mobilize-them-poll-suggests\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T23:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T03:33:30","slug":"abortion-matters-to-voters-but-it-may-not-mobilize-them-poll-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/abortion-matters-to-voters-but-it-may-not-mobilize-them-poll-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortion matters to voters \u2014 but it may not mobilize them, poll suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 10px\" \/><figcaption>\n<p style=\"font-size:12px\">Protestors hold signs at an April 14, 2024, protest in favor of reproductive rights and abortion access in Scottsdale. (Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez\/Arizona Mirror)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A survey of voters in three battleground states, including Arizona, found that abortion remains a deciding issue in choosing which candidates to support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Impact Research, a public opinion research company that frequently works with progressive organizations, partnered with Reproductive Freedom for All to gauge how abortion might affect how voters in Michigan, Nevada and Arizona view candidates in the November midterms. Abortion rights advocates are hoping concern over the procedure\u2019s access will sway voters in an election year when its continued legality turns on the outcomes of multiple races.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Arizona made abortion a fundamental right in 2024, with 61% of voters approving Proposition 139, which added the right to the state constitution. But who wins the contests for governor and attorney general in November could lead to new restrictions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside>        <a href=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/subscribe\" style=\"text-decoration:none\" aria-label=\"Get the morning headlines delivered to your inbox.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscribeShortcodeContainer\">\n<div class=\"subscribeTextContainer\">\n                <i class=\"fas fa-envelope\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p>GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"subscribeButtonContainer\">\n<div>SUBSCRIBE<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/aside>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, both staunch abortion rights supporters, will face off against longtime congressman Andy Biggs and state lawmaker Warren Petersen, respectively. Biggs has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/2026\/07\/23\/doctors-warn-andy-biggs-record-on-healthcare-abortion-should-alarm-arizona-voters\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">repeatedly backed federal legislation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that would ban abortion nationwide, while Petersen has pushed anti-abortion laws at the state-level and directed the legislature to defend a near-total ban from 1864 in court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That stark difference on abortion may prove to be a key factor as voters consider which candidates to back. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reproductivefreedomforall.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMPACT-BATTLEGROUND-POLL-KEY-FINDINGS-JULY-2026-Toplines.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Impact Research\u2019s study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that 8 in 10 voters in the three battleground states believe it\u2019s important for lawmakers to protect access to the procedure. Less than one quarter of respondents, just 22%, said they would like to see more restrictions on abortion care. And 43% said they would refuse to vote for a candidate who supported a national ban.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But alarm over future impediments to abortion access are secondary to other concerns, making it unclear if abortion is the mobilizing issue reproductive rights advocates hope it will be. Voters in all three battleground states ranked concern about Medicaid cuts and rising taxes as more important than abortion restrictions. According to researchers, that\u2019s partly because of a \u201cbelievability gap\u201d: Voters simply don\u2019t think that abortion bans are as likely to happen as deep cuts to Medicaid spending or increasing the tax burden on middle-class families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMost battleground voters are not hearing about the issue of abortion, so while many express concerns about Republican policies that restrict access to abortion, they also believe these policies are unlikely to happen,\u201d reads the research memo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An overwhelming majority of voters, about 76%, reported fearing that congressional Republicans would move to cut Medicaid funding. And 61% said they strongly believed that could happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a bid to put abortion access at the forefront, Democrats and reproductive rights groups are investing in voter outreach efforts and trying to draw contrasts with their Republican foes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, Hobbs has made countering her opponent\u2019s anti-abortion track record with examples of her work to protect access to the procedure a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/2026\/06\/24\/on-dobbs-anniversary-hobbs-warns-of-her-gop-opponents-abortion-ban-support\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pillar of her political strategy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. And Reproductive Freedom for All, which helped propel Arizona\u2019s abortion rights amendment to success, is investing millions in voter messaging and canvassing efforts to keep the topic in the spotlight. The organization launched a $23.5 million campaign in June dubbed \u201cMy Body. My Ballot.\u201d A portion of that, about $2 million, will be spent in the Grand Canyon State.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Athena Salman, the director of the Arizona chapter of Reproductive Freedom for All, urged voters not to become complacent about the right to abortion care, saying that the only way to guarantee continued access to the procedure is by rejecting candidates who seek to restrict it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEven with the protections we have fought hard to pass here in Arizona through Proposition 139, we know our reproductive freedom is under attack. Arizona Republicans continue to propose some of the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the country,\u201d she said in an emailed statement. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Voters will have the opportunity to hold them accountable for their anti-abortion extremism that puts lives in danger.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<aside>        <a href=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/donate\/?oa_referrer=midstorybox\" style=\"text-decoration:none\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"donateContainer\">\n<div class=\"donateTextContainer\">\n<p>YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"donateButtonContainer\">\n<div>SUPPORT<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n        <\/aside>\n<p class=\"inmi-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/azmirror.com\/2026\/07\/29\/abortion-matters-to-voters-but-it-may-not-mobilize-them-poll-suggests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">News \u2013 World \u2013 Phoenix \u2013 rss.app2 \u2192 manual entry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A survey of voters in three battleground states, including Arizona, found that abortion remains a deciding issue in choosing which candidates to support.\u00a0 Impact Research, a public opinion research company that frequently works with progressive organizations, partnered with Reproductive Freedom\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15233313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15233311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phoenix"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1.jpg",1024,576,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-620x349.jpg",620,349,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-940x529.jpg",940,529,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1.jpg",1024,576,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1.jpg",1024,576,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-998x576.jpg",998,576,true],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-670x446.jpg",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1.jpg",1024,576,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-510x510.jpg",510,510,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-160x160.jpg",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-24x24.jpg",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-96x96.jpg",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15233311-abortion-protest-scottsdale-remember-november-crowd-1024x576-1-300x300.jpg",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"<a 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