Inside Iowa Politics: Here’s what to watch with women voters this November
Iowa State researcher thinks one issue could be significant factor
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) - National polls show the majority of women support Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. The majority of men back former president Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that all women vote the same or all men vote the same.
Dr. Kelly Winfrey is the director of the Iowa State University Women’s and Gender Studies Program wrote a book about women voters: “Understanding How Women Vote.”
Winfrey believes that abortion rights may divide Republican women in 2024. Republican-led states like Iowa have eliminated access to abortion in most cases. Iowa’s law bans abortions after about six weeks of gestation, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.
Some women have pushed for years to ban all or most abortions. This legislation may be exactly what they hoped to protect the unborn. But polls show that most women believe abortion should be legal in at least some cases.
Winfrey believes that historically voters wanting change are the most motivated. In this case, that could be women who think that Republican politicians have restricted abortion access too far. They could be more inclined to support candidates who oppose those restrictions.
Gallup measured a variety of Americans’ positions on abortion access in polls that were released in June.
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