Abortion is one of the hottest issues on the campaign trail this year, and a new poll from Christopher Newport University shows voters have conflicted opinions.
Virginians overwhelmingly want abortion to be legal in most or all cases, according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University's Wason Center for Civic Leadership. But dig a little deeper into the results, and there's an interesting twist.
Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo is research director at the Wason Center, and she says most voters would also support some restrictions if there are exceptions for the life of the mother, rape or incest.
"Here is an interesting finding that a narrow majority support banning abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy with those exceptions at 51%," she explains. "So just a narrow support."
Democrats say abortion is one of their most important issues this year, and now that the US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, Virginia stands poised to either continue access or move toward some kind of a ban. The polling suggests it's an issue that will continue to be at the center of elections for years to come.
"This is going to be an ongoing issue with abortion because this is a purple-y state," Bromley-Trujillo says. "And as we change from Democrats to Republicans in power at the state level, there will always be a fight over which direction we're going to go on abortion restrictions or not."
While Democrats are focused on abortion and climate change, the poll suggests Republicans say their top issues are the economy and crime.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
