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The latest headlines out of Southern California make clear that radical anti-abortion Republicans Michelle Steel and Young Kim are facing an uphill battle in their new districts, as Orange County voters affirm again and again that defending abortion rights will be a top issue in the November midterms.
Following yesterday’s coverage from the LA Times detailing California Republicans’ support for a nationwide abortion ban, the LAist zoomed in on AAPI voters in Orange County, who overwhelmingly support abortion rights. Polling from last week conducted by Berkley IGS echoes national polling revealing Asian Americans in California and across the country have the highest rates of support for abortion rights across ethnic groups. To mobilize this support, earlier this summer, the DCCC announced historic investments in AAPI outreach to engage voters on abortion, targeting Orange County and other battleground districts.
“Michelle Steel and Young Kim are extremists whose anti-freedom agenda defies the values of the districts they seek to represent,” said DCCC Senior Advisor for AAPI Engagement Allen Chen. “As congressional Republicans push a national abortion ban, Democrats are fighting to protect the freedom of AAPI communities and all communities across Orange County, who overwhelmingly support abortion rights.”
Read more about embattled incumbents Michelle Steel and Young Kim below:
The LAist: Strong Asian American Support For Abortion Rights Tests Republicans In Orange County House Races
By Josie Huang
August 30, 2022
- The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade is shifting the political calculus around the country, including in two Orange County congressional districts with significant Asian American populations.
- An energized Democratic Party is hoping the seismic decision will draw to the polls large numbers of Asian Americans, who as a group register strong support for abortion rights.
- A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in May found about three-quarters of Asian respondents said abortion should be legal, the most of any racial group.
- Democrats want to turn that support into wins in two newly-drawn Orange County districts: the 40th and the 45th. All the candidates are Asian American, and both races pit Republican members of Congress who want to severely restrict abortion rights against Democratic challengers who say government should stay out of a woman’s medical decisions.
- The Democrats point out that while abortion is still legal in California, that could change if Republicans retake control of Congress and the White House.
- “We know what the Republican majority in the House would pursue,” said Chen. “They’ve made that clear: a federal ban on abortion. That is in the cards. That’s what they want.”
- Steel is one of nearly 170 House members to co-sponsor the Life at Conception Act, which would grant “equal protection for the right to life” under the 14th Amendment to “each born and preborn human person.” Democrats and some legal experts contend the bill would effectively implement a national ban on abortion.
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