Roe v. Wade Roll Call: Wisconsin’s ‘22 Candidates React

Late last night, POLITICO reported that women’s freedom to control their own health care decisions will almost certainly be overturned in the coming months. Nearly 50 years after Roe v. Wade was decided, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to roil the country’s political landscape with less than 200 days to go before the midterm elections. 

In Wisconsin, voters will cast their ballots for Governor and U.S. Senator this fall. Both offices will play crucial roles in shaping the future of reproductive freedoms. 

Here’s what the leading candidates for each office had to say in the immediate aftermath of Monday evening’s news:

Governor

Wisconsin is one of just nine states in the US with criminal abortion bans written into state law. Should Roe vs. Wade be overturned by the Supreme Court, “Almost all abortions in Wisconsin would be illegal as early as this summer,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Incumbent Governor Tony Evers has vetoed four bills passed by the Republican legislature that would have encroached on Roe v. Wade.   

As reported last month, each of the leading candidates for Governor running in the Republican primary are ardently anti-choice, even opposing access to abortion in cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother. 

U.S. Senate

Last night’s news led to calls for immediate action by the U.S. Senate to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into law. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed such a bill, meaning passage by the Senate would immediately move the measure to President Joe Biden’s desk. 

Each of the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson made their position clear:

Senator Ron Johnson, the Republican incumbent assured of renomination, joined many of his fellow Republicans in declining to weigh in on the merits of the issue — despite his own long standing anti-choice views — and chose to instead focus on the reporting from inside the Supreme Court.

The implications of the draft opinion obtained by POLITICO are profound, and should be discussed in the weeks ahead. For now, in the immediate aftermath of last night’s shocking news, the initial reactions of leading candidates for statewide office speak volumes.

If you are concerned about the rollback of women’s freedoms there are two things to know today. Democrats are with you. Republicans are not.