DDHQ Morning News Spotlight: SCOTUS Overturns Roe, Plus Trump Stumps for Miller and Bailey in Illinois but Miller Gaffe Dominates Rally

Morning Headlines

• The Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade in a 5-3-1 decision on Friday, ruling that women no longer hold a constitutional right to an abortion. 5 conservative justices (including three appointed by President Trump) voted as a block to overturn the decision, while Chief Justice John Roberts pushed for a compromise. Abortion will now be illegal or mostly illegal in 15 states within a month, with 5 more states likely to ban the practice in the near future. Notable states where abortion is now illegal or mostly illegal include Ohio and Texas, with Georgia expected to soon follow. 22 Attorney Generals affirmed their commitment to protect and expand abortion rights in recent days.
• At a Save America rally in Quincy, Illinois, Donald Trump affirmed his endorsement in the IL-15 GOP House Primary for Mary Miller over established incumbent Rodney Davis. Miller and Davis were double-bunked in IL-15 after the Democratic gerrymander passed, with the former receiving key endorsements from Trump and fellow members of the Freedom Caucus. Davis has earned endorsements from Illinois House Republicans Mike Bost, Darin LaHood, and John Shimkus as well as Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Trump also endorsed Illinois Senator Darren Bailey for Illinois Governor over Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin. Although Irvin received a massive donation from billionaire Ken Griffin and was the front-runner at one point, sustained attacks from Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker helped drop Irvin below Bailey in polling. Although Bailey is more conservative, he is thought to be less electable in deeply blue Illinois.
• The aftermath of Trump’s rally was dominated by a Mary Miller gaffe, in which she spoke of SCOTUS’ Roe v. Wade decision as a “victory for white life.” Although she did not correct herself during the rally and the crowd cheered after her statement, a spokesperson has since released a statement saying that she misspoke and meant to say a “victory for the right to life.” Miller has a history of making incendiary statements, most notably saying that “Hitler was right” regarding his youth indoctrination programs in a prepared speech last year. Miller is slightly favored over Davis given Trump’s support, but Davis’ political power in the district should not be underrated.
• In RI-02 general election polls, Republican Allen Fung leads all potential Democratic opponents in hypothetical general election match-ups. General Treasurer of Rhode Island, Seth Magaziner, holds a commanding lead thus far in the Democratic Primary, although nearly half of the poll’s respondents were undecided. Fung currently holds a 44%-38% lead over Magaziner in a potential general election matchup, even though Biden beat Trump 56%-42% in the district just two years ago. Democrats will be on the offensive against Fung after the Roe v Wade ruling, but these attacks may fall flat since Fung calls himself pro-choice.

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