'Kansas will not be our last fight': Abortion rights victory gives Democrats new hope for midterms

It isn't often that Democrats look to deep-red Kansas for resounding affirmation. But on Tuesday night, when Kansans overwhelmingly voted to keep protections for abortion rights in their state constitution, that is exactly what happened.

The size and scope of the result were a shock to even the most optimistic Democrats. Not only did voters reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would have opened the door to strict abortion laws in the Republican state, but they did it by turning out in huge numbers, dwarfing turnout in more recent primary elections and signaling that the issue can motivate even Republican-leaning voters in a state former President Donald Trump won by 15 points in 2020.

The political impact of what happened in Kansas will be most directly felt in the November midterm elections -- particularly in races for governor and attorney general after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, throwing the issue of abortion to the states. The June ruling has led to bans on the procedure being enforced in several states while opening the door to more restrictions in others. At least four other states will be voting on abortion-related ballot measures this November, but Democratic strategists are looking to the Kansas result to extrapolate lessons for states where abortion won't be on the ballot.