Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) urged Democrats to expand their focus to more than just the issue of abortion in their midterm campaigns with less than one month to go before Election Day.
In an op-ed published by the Guardian on Monday, Sanders rejected advice from some consultants who urged candidates to treat abortion access as the focal part of their campaign platform. Instead, the Vermont independent argued they should also focus on issues such as the economy, prescription drug prices, and healthcare.
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“As we enter the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, I am alarmed to hear the advice that many Democratic candidates are getting from establishment consultants and directors of well-funded Super Pacs that the closing argument of Democrats should focus only on abortion,” Sanders wrote. “In my view, while the abortion issue must remain on the front burner, it would be political malpractice for Democrats to ignore the state of the economy and allow Republican lies and distortions to go unanswered.”
With just four weeks until Election Day, Democrats have sought to keep voters’ attention on abortion access as motivation to increase voter turnout and defend their majorities in Congress. Abortion emerged as a top voter concern over the summer after the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending nationwide access to the procedure and returning the issue of its legality to the states.
Candidates nationwide have run ads touting their stances on widespread access to abortion, with several attempting to paint their Republican opponents as wanting to restrict a person’s right to choose. In some states, Democratic lawmakers have worked to add ballot measures seeking to codify abortion rights in state constitutions as a way to drive voters to the polls.
It’s not clear how well the Democrats’ strategy will play out. Recent polling has shown a decrease in interest in the issue, with just 6% of voters saying abortion is the most important problem facing the country, according to a Gallup poll in September. That’s a drop from 10% who said the same in August and 14% in July.
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However, Democrats have an advantage as 51% of voters say the party is better equipped to handle abortion issues compared to just 32% who said the same for Republicans, according to a recent Washington Post–ABC News poll. Another 62% of voters ranked abortion as one of their top voting priorities in November.
Despite the increased attention, Sanders has warned Democrats not to isolate voters by making the election all about abortion access.
“None of what I am suggesting here is ‘radical.’ It is, in fact, extremely popular. It is what the American people want,” he wrote. “If we close this critical midterm campaign with a clear, unified vision to meet the needs of working families, to take on corporate greed, and protect a woman’s right to choose, we will begin to rebuild the trust between Democrats in Washington and the working families of this country. And we’ll win the election.”
