Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, senior politics editor Mark Murray breaks down new polling that shows the limits of abortion as a political issue for Democrats. Plus, national political reporter Bridget Bowman reports on how pro-Israel groups are wading into GOP primaries. And the prosecution rests in Donald Trump’s trial.
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New polls show abortion’s power — and limits — as a 2024 issueBy Mark Murray
The issue of abortion remains a powerful force for Democrats in the election, with 60% of voters disapproving of overturning Roe v. Wade and supporting abortion rights in most cases.
But the issue also has limits — at least in the context of the showdown between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
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That’s the takeaway from a pair of recent CBS News/YouGov polls of Arizona and Florida, where abortion has been a major dynamic since Roe v. Wade’s downfall. In Florida, a six-week abortion ban has gone into effect, while the state also has a measure on the ballot in November to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. And in Arizona, the governor signed legislation repealing the state’s 1864 abortion ban. The state is also expected to have an abortion rights amendment on the ballot.
The positive news for Democrats: Nearly two-thirds of voters in both states believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and a slim majority say abortion will be a major factor in their votes.
In addition, 6 in 10 voters would support a state amendment establishing a constitutional right to abortion in each state.
That’s the clear power of abortion. But other findings in the polls suggest the limits of that power.
While slight majorities in both states say abortion will be a major factor in their votes, that’s down considerably from the 8 in 10 voters who say that about the economy and inflation, as well as the 7 in 10 who say it about the state of democracy.
And this might be the most significant set of abortion numbers in the poll: Half of voters say Trump deserves neither credit nor blame for overturning Roe v. Wade.
That compares to about 10% to 15% of voters who give Trump credit and roughly 35% to 40% who blame him in those states.
So while Democrats and the Biden campaign have attacked Trump for being personally responsible for the Supreme Court overturning Roe — with his three appointments to the court — a sizable chunk of voters in Arizona and Florida don’t buy that argument.