The role abortion rights played on Election Day was likely underestimated by the GOP. Democratic candidates made reproductive rights a priority in their campaigns, and this helped mobilize young voters. Exit polls across the country showed that reproductive health and abortion were important to millennials, and this had a big impact on the results of the election. Additionally, many of the states that passed legislation protecting abortion rights, such as Oregon and New Mexico, saw Democrats take control of state legislatures. These results suggest that abortion rights may have played a role in the election’s outcome.
