(NewsNation) — About four in ten Republican voters believe abortion should be legal in “all or most cases,” according to a new poll.
Among that group of voters, the KFF tracking poll found that 52% of them trust the GOP more on the issue of abortion. Just 8% said they trust the Democratic Party. Thirty-three percent said they didn’t trust either party on the issue.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years.
Since then, the decision has galvanized some Democratic lawmakers and candidates into making the issue a key issue in the 2024 election.
Navigating the court’s decision has been more difficult for Republicans.
In the two elections since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion drove voters to the polls. Republicans who pushed more stringent restrictions saw losses during the 2022 midterms and elections in 2023.
During last year’s midterms, voters in California, Vermont and Michigan backed measures to enshrine abortion access within the state constitution, and voters in the red state of Kentucky shot down a measure that would have banned it.
Meanwhile, in November, battleground state voters made Ohio the fourth state to constitutionally protect abortion access. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s best efforts to gain control of both chambers of the state legislature were additionally upset by Democrats who took complete control of the statehouse, blocking efforts to pass new abortion restrictions.
According to the KFF poll, about 1 in 8 voters say abortion is the top factor influencing how they’ll vote in the 2024 elections, with the issue resonating particularly with Black and Democratic women and those ages 18 to 49.