In Upstate N.Y., a test for Democrats running on abortion to stop GOP wave

Tuesday’s special election in a swing district has become a crucial testing ground for both major parties’ political strategies around abortion — an issue that could factor heavily into the midterm elections

After the Roe decision, Democratic nominee Pat Ryan unveiled new campaign signs, white on pink, that read “CHOICE IS ON THE BALLOT.” The state Democratic Party’s own signs show a red slash over “Roe v. Wade” with the message: “This is what happens when YOU don’t vote! Vote blue in ’22!” To Ryan, the 40-year old Democratic Ulster County executive, the strategy was clear: “We’re going to continue to focus on an issue that affects tens of millions of women and people and families.”

When Republican Marc Molinaro heard about the court’s decision — just three weeks after he became his party’s nominee in the 19th Congressional District — he said he was surprised. “I had thought, like most Americans, that this was settled,” said Molinaro, 46, as he campaigned at Monticello’s annual Bagel Festival.

Now, he is campaigning on other issues he says are more pressing, such as inflation and crime. “The Supreme Court passed this issue back to the states,” he said. “The states have to act. This state has acted, and broad access is preserved here in New York.”

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