Please Note: CBS News reporter covering the intersection between politics and tech. The post Abortion rights key in Arizona governor’s race appeared first on CBS News.
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Since a judge in Pima County judge ruled that Arizona can enforce a near-total ban on abortions, abortion access has become a key issue in the tight race between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs to be the state’s next governor.
A new CBS News Battleground Tracker poll of likely Arizona voters shows Hobbs and Lake tied at 49% with less than five weeks until Election Day. Six in 10 registered voters in Arizona say abortion should be legal in the state in most cases.
In September, a judge removed a decades-old injunction that blocked enforcement of a law that’s been in place since 1901, over a decade before Arizona became a state. That law makes it illegal for anyone to provide an abortion surgically or with drugs and is punishable by two to five years in prison.
The ruling, weeks before the midterm elections on Nov. 8,
is energizing Democratic voters and some independent-leaning
Republicans in the state, whose support could be crucial particularly in
the race. . .
According to a Suffolk University / Arizona Republic poll, abortion is a significant motivation for women voters in Arizona. More than seven in 10 Democratic women ranked the issue as their top priority this year, compared to 49% of independent women and 37% of Republican women said the same.
The close gubernatorial race is drawing attention from national GOP figures as well. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, is holding rallies with Kari Lake and Republican nominee for Senate Blake Masters on Tuesday and Wednesday in the state.
✓... Abortion is also a key issue driving the Arizona Senate race. According to the new CBS News poll, Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly leads GOP nominee Blake Masters 51% to 48%.
Like Democratic candidates elsewhere in the country, Kelly enjoys a wide lead among voters who say abortion is very important. More than seven in 10 likely Arizona voters who say abortion is very important in their vote for senator prefer Kelly over Masters. . .
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A day after the judge’s ruling, Hobbs held a press conference promising to “use every tool at my disposal to restore abortion rights in Arizona.” That led to her campaign’s best fundraising week of cycle with over $1.2 million in grassroots donations fueled by reproductive rights advocates.
Lake’s campaign has continued to focus on immigration, education and the economy, but the Republican nominee was asked about the abortion ruling in an appearnce on Fox News recently.
“I’m pro-life. I’ve never backed away from that and never will,” Lake said. “The Democrats have tried to politicize the issue in such a disturbing way,” she added.
On her campaign website, Lake says “we must also support people who choose to act responsibly when they are not ready to have a child, and that means making all common forms of birth control available over-the-counter and providing assistance to those who are financially unable to pay for their own birth control.”
✓✓ Two recent polls showed Hobbs leading Lake by one point with less than six weeks before Election Day. Both polls indicated abortion rights as one of the top issues for voters.
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