Republicans are leaning into the issue of abortion, hoping that their support for a 15-week ban will resonate with voters. But a new poll from Christopher Newport University's Wason Center says they may have miscalculated.
Among likely voters surveyed for the poll, only 39% say they support a 15-week ban while 54% oppose.
Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo is research lab director at the Wason Center. "Governor Youngkin has taken a bit of a different tact than other Republicans in other states, and he's campaigning for a 15-week limit on abortion, which Republicans are calling a limit not a ban. They are including some exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. So this is really a test. Does that messaging work?"
The poll also shows book bans are widely unpopular and that a majority supports parental notification if students want to use different pronouns.
"Democrats kind of have an upper hand on the book bans. Republicans have more of an upper hand on the transgender student policy," Bromley-Trujillo says.
The Wason Center poll has Governor Glenn Youngkin at 55% approval while President Joe Biden is at 41%.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
