The media reported that Virginia would be a big test for abortion politics but went silent about the results when Democrats failed.
The media reported that Virginia would be a big test for abortion politics but went silent about the results when Democrats failed.
I n his losing gubernatorial campaign, Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe ran hard on the issue of abortion, hammering Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in speeches, debates, and TV ads.
“Abortion, schools take center stage in Virginia governor’s election ad wars,” CNBC reported on October 22. “Three of McAuliffe’s most expensive ads,” CNBC reported, “have attacked Youngkin for his abortion stance.”
It’s been clear since September 1, when the Texas Heartbeat Act took effect, that McAuliffe put abortion front and center in his campaign, but we hadn’t seen a comprehensive accounting of just how much money was spent against Youngkin on the issue of abortion.
When it was all said and done, according to a Virginia GOP campaign official with access to ad-spending data, nearly $4 million was spent on TV ads hitting Youngkin on the issue of abortion.
Here are some details the campaign official provided to National Review:
- $3.77 million worth of television ads during the general election hit Youngkin on the issue of abortion.
- 8,606 of those TV spots on abortion were aired between August 24 and Election Day.
- About 20 percent of all TV ads against Youngkin in the Charlottesville market focused on abortion.
As Alexandra DeSanctis reported, the McAuliffe campaign produced no fewer than five TV ads on abortion.
A key message the ads tried to drive home was that the Supreme Court would “likely” overturn Roe v. Wade in an upcoming case in December, and then states would be able to set their own policies on abortion.
One of the ads begins with a clip from the second gubernatorial debate in which moderator Chuck Todd asks Youngkin if he supports including a right to abortion in Virginia’s constitution. “No, I do not,” Youngkin replies.
The ad’s narrator then warns that: “With Donald Trump’s Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave states to decide if abortion is legal, Glenn Youngkin has made clear where he stands. Youngkin says he wants to ban abortion and defund Planned Parenthood. Don’t let Glenn Youngkin bring his far-right agenda to Virginia.”
After Texas’s law effectively banning almost all abortions later than six weeks of pregnancy took effect on September 1, almost every mainstream-media outlet reported that the Virginia gubernatorial election had been transformed into a big test for the future of abortion politics.
See, for example, the following headlines:
NPR: “Far From Texas, The Virginia Governor’s Race Will Test How Abortion Motivates Voters”
Washington Post: “As Texas law takes effect, abortion looms large in Virginia governor’s race”
New York Times: “With Abortion Rights Under Threat, Democrats Hope to Go on Offense”
Politico: “Abortion becomes a ‘huge motivator’ in governor races”
ABC News: “Texas abortion law propels issue to forefront of Virginia gubernatorial campaign”
Although the media correctly reported that Virginia would be a big test for abortion politics, almost all went silent about the results of that particular test when the Democrats failed at the ballot box.
There’s no sign that the ad spending on abortion dented Youngkin’s campaign. On September 1, the day that Texas’s abortion law took effect, McAuliffe led Youngkin by 5.2 points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. Youngkin won Virginia — a state that Biden carried by ten points last year — by 2.1 points.
Despite all the media attention and all the campaign spending on the issue of abortion, 8 percent of Virginia voters said abortion was the most important issue in the race, according to the CNN exit poll, and three out of five voters who named abortion as the top issue voted for Youngkin.