MADISON HEIGHTS, Michigan — Democrats swept Michigan in 2022 by campaigning on abortion rights, winning control of all branches of government in Lansing for the first time in nearly 40 years and making the state the first to override a ban on the procedure after the fall of Roe v. Wade .
But this year, despite leaning even more heavily into the issue, Democrats remain virtually tied in federal races that could determine the presidency and majorities in Congress. That’s fueling anxiety that abortion slipped off many voters’ radars after Michiganders approved the ballot initiative two years ago.
“There’s a false sense of comfort that somehow we’re okay because it’s in the Michigan Constitution,” outgoing Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow told POLITICO recently after speaking at an abortion-rights rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in the Detroit suburbs. “The minute we explain the stakes, [voters are] furious that we did all this work and that it could be ripped away. But it does take a little bit of extra effort to make sure that people understand.”