What’s at stake in Kansas next week

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Jul 29, 2022 View in browser   By Katelyn Fossett POLITICO illustration/iStock Happy Friday, rulers! Any good summer reading discoveries? I'm reading Either/Or by Elif Batuman, and I love it; more on that below in the recommendations section. Thank you to Maya Parthasarathy for your help putting the newsletter together! Email me at kfossett@politico.com and follow me on Twitter here . On Tuesday, Kansans will go to the polls to vote on a proposed amendment that would allow the legislature to ban abortion. The proposal would remove language in the State Constitution that protects abortion rights in the state, thus leaving the matter up to the state's elected representatives. Kansas is a red state where voters are split on abortion rights, with 50.5 percent of respondents in a 2021 survey saying they believe the state government should not place any restrictions on abortion. But Republicans have the edge in primaries in Kansas; Republicans make up 44 percent of registered voters in the state, while Democrats make up 26 percent. The Kansas vote is the first statewide referendum on abortion since the Dobbs decision in June, and a lot is at stake. It could offer other states a creative model for protecting or restricting abortion access. And more immediately, it will determine whether Kansas can continue to be an island of abortion access in the region, surrounded by states with abortion bans. I called Greer Donley, a law professor who specializes in legal issues surrounding abortion and a Kansas native, to hear more about what's really on the ballot on Tuesday. Katelyn Fossett: You're a native Kansan. How do you think this vote will go? Greer Donley: A poll from 2021 of Kansans found that 60 percent don't want abortion to be illegal in their state, and 50.5 said that they didn't want the state to limit abortion rights at all. The thing that's a little bit harder to gauge with this vote is that it's a primary. Republican legislators put this on the primary ballot because they thought it would favor their side, because people who show up for primary votes tend to be more Republican. In Kansas, in general, you can't vote in primaries if you're an independent. They can vote on this ballot initiative, but many independents don't realize that they can show up to a primary. But even with that, the most recent poll that came out showed that of likely primary voters, 47 percent planned to vote yes to support the amendment, 43 percent planned to vote no and 10 percent were undecided. So the margin is extremely tight. One thing that's hard to predict is to what extent does the decision in Dobbs really galvanize people that support abortion rights to show up in a primary election that they usually wouldn't have? Fossett: What are abortion politics like in Kansas generally? Donley: Kansas has a really dark history of anti-abortion violence. Famously, an abortion provider in Kansas named George Tiller was murdered while he was attending church on a Sunday morning in the state. Dr. Tiller had been targeted previously. He had actually been shot already by anti-abortion extremists a year or so before he was actually murdered. Kansas has historically had a lot of abortion violence. At the same time, if Kansans defeat this initiative, then it will say something important about what people in red states think about abortion rights. We see polling all the time showing that there is wide support for abortion rights in this country. But I think there's a tendency to view that as being concentrated on the coasts and in big cities. But what happens if Kansas votes no and says "We don't want abortion to be banned in our state"? That would be a huge defeat to the anti-abortion movement, and it will also provide a way forward for the abortion rights movement to potentially restore access in purple and red states around the country with constitutional amendments. Fossett: How might the lessons of the Kansas vote affect what other states are doing to protect or restrict abortion access? Donley: I think if the abortion rights movement wins, or the referendum is defeated, then people might be inclined to not think much about this. If it's really close, that might still be viewed as a defeat in its own way, because we're talking about Kansas. But if the voters vote yes on the amendment, then it shows how abortion rights advocates can use this as an offensive strategy. The anti-abortion movement is the one that's lodging this amendment challenge in Kansas, because they're trying to change the Constitution. But in Michigan, we see the beginnings of an offensive strategy from abortion rights advocates. Michigan has a pre-Roe law on the books that's currently enjoined by a federal court. But citizens of Michigan are not going to count on the courts there. They're going to try to amend their own constitution to say that the state protects abortion rights. Similar efforts are underway in California. Much less is at stake in blue states, of course, but in places like Michigan and Kansas, it really changes the outcome. The anti-abortion movement is also trying to force these referendums in Kentucky and in Pennsylvania . So that's an opportunity for abortion rights advocates to play defense again like they are in Kansas.   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: As inflation rates soar and disruptions to the global supply chain persist, all eyes are on the nation's economic recovery. But getting back on track in an inclusive and sustainable way is no easy feat. POLITICO Focus connected with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to learn about the strategies and solutions that will power an economy that benefits all. Join the Conversation.   Fossett: What impact would this amendment in Kansas have on the region? Donley: Kansas is right in the middle of the country, surrounded by anti-abortion states. If the abortion rights movement is successful here, you also keep a really important state operating for abortion access, a state where people in Oklahoma and Texas and a lot of places are actually really, really dependent upon. Without it, people are going to have to travel hundreds of more miles to the closest abortion provider. So that strategic location is also important. POLITICO Special Report Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo " The key abortion news that happened while you weren't looking ," by Olivia Olander and Matt Berg for POLITICO: "More than a month after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court, Democrats aren't letting up trying to protect abortion rights — even if their efforts might seem futile. "With little national agreement on abortion rights, one thing is for certain: The coming weeks will prove formative in how the issue plays out in the United States. "Predictably, states remain the battleground. Conservative legislators in Indiana are pushing for new abortion laws, while voters will decide the fate of reproductive rights in Kansas. As Vice President Kamala Harris levied an aggressive nationwide campaign to reinvigorate progressive state legislators, a streaming service refused to run ads purchased by Democrats about abortion. A judge in South Carolina ruled that a ban on the medical procedure can be enforced, but another judge in Kentucky continued to block an abortion ban. "These developments — contradictions in policy and public opinion — underscore the divisiveness of the issue that has exacerbated political differences in America. As we inch closer to the November midterms, politicians are expected to keep a close eye to how the issues play out."   The Women Rule series brings together rising stars, accomplished professionals, and women at the pinnacle of their careers to inform, empower and connect women across diverse sectors and career levels. Attendance to our quarterly in-person POLITICO Women Rule meetings, is by invitation-only. Join our interest list and learn more here .     " Pelosi and China: The making of a progressive hawk ," by Andrew Desiderio for POLITICO: "When Chinese officials chased Nancy Pelosi out of Tiananmen Square 31 years ago, the incident launched a surprising foreign policy approach that has pitted her against presidents of both parties and at times aligned her with conservatives. "Now, she wants to bookend her career on the world stage with a trip to Taiwan — whether the White House likes it or not . "The speaker's strong progressive stance on global affairs dates back to her tenure atop the House Intelligence Committee and the panel that controls the State Department's budget. She voted against the 2002 Iraq war authorization, while her Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer supported it. But she has also talked tough when it comes to what she sees as a defense of democratic ideals and human rights, pushing the Obama administration to strike Syria after its government used chemical weapons in 2013. "Pelosi's hawkish independent streak, though, is best encapsulated by a decadeslong antagonism of China that's come to define her time in public service. In an interview this week, Pelosi said she views her goals in U.S. foreign policy as threefold: security, economic interests and 'honoring our values.'" Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS Texas Governor Greg Abbott in October 2021. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images "Because of Texas abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare," by Carrie Feibel in NPR: "New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications, which has led to life-threatening delays and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness."Elizabeth Weller never dreamed that her own hopes for a child would become ensnared in the web of Texas abortion law."She and her husband began trying in late 2021. They had bought a house in Kingwood, a lakeside development in Houston. Elizabeth was in graduate school for political science and James taught middle-school math."The Wellers were pleasantly surprised when they got pregnant early in 2022."But in early May … they found themselves pinned down, clinically and emotionally, victims of a collision between standard obstetrical practice and the rigid new demands of Texas law."It was May 10, 2022. Elizabeth was 18 weeks pregnant. She ate a healthy breakfast, went for a walk outside and came back home. … Elizabeth stood up to get some lunch. That's when she felt something 'shift' in her uterus, down low, and then 'this burst of water just falls out of my body. And I screamed because that's when I knew something wrong was happening.'"" Why Did We Buy What Victoria's Secret Was Selling ?" by Sophie Gilbert for the Atlantic : "The last ever Victoria's Secret Fashion Show took place in 2018, before allegations of institutional misogyny surfaced at the underwear chain, but after many of us realized that it was peddling something more insidious than $40 teal lace push-up bras with rhinestone details. The model who opened the event was Taylor Hill, a then-22-year-old from Colorado with the guileless beauty and long limbs of a baby farm animal. 'We should go forward; we should push the boundary,' Hill said in footage that was projected backstage before she made her entrance, dressed in a tiny plaid kilt, thigh-high stiletto boots, and a fuchsia brassiere with feathered fuchsia wings. The imperative, she added, was to 'be sexy for ourselves, and for who we want to be, not because a man says you have to be. It was never about that in the first place.' "Except, with apologies to Hill, it kind of was. Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond, a former marketer for the cold-remedy company Vicks, who purportedly felt uncomfortable buying lingerie for his wife in existing stores and thought extravagant underwear sold in more welcoming environments might be an untapped market. Raymond settled on a softly Victorian vibe for his first store in Palo Alto, California. Aware that some women might find undergarments catering so specifically to the male gaze somewhat incompatible with the second-wave feminism ascendant at the time, he landed on a unique sales pitch, which Susan Faludi lays out in her 1991 book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women. It was important for the consumer to think that she was buying 'this very romantic and sexy lingerie to feel good about herself, and the effect it had on a man was secondary,' Raymond tells Faludi. 'It allowed us to sell these garments without seeming sexist.' He shrugs when she asks him if it was actually true. 'It was just the philosophy we used. The media picked it up and called it a "trend," but I don't know. I've never seen any statistics.'"   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: In the Round: A conversation with today's leaders.   " Hawaii has no girls in juvenile detention. Here's how it got there ," by Claire Healy for the Washington Post Quote of the Week Read more here. Recommendations Either/Or by Elif Batuman: I got this book from my local library, so I need to finish it soon, but I wish I could slow down. I like it even more than The Idiot , Batuman's prequel. For those of you who haven't read the books or read about them: They're semi-autobiographical novels about the protagonist, Selin's, time at Harvard as an undergrad and her sort-of affair with an older student. I say sort-of because it's never quite clear if the two are dating – which is a particularly relatable experience for millennials and those younger. And the gap between the infatuation that Selin has for Ivan, the love interest, and how much she knows about how to pursue an actual romantic relationship, is endlessly hilarious. Instead, she pores over Kirkegaard, Dostoevsky and Alanis Morissette lyrics to figure things out, which is usually not helpful for her – though it makes for fascinating and very funny reading for the reader. Transitions Priya Singh has been promoted to chief of staff of the DPC. She is currently the deputy chief of staff and senior policy analyst at the Domestic Policy Council. … Aubrey Powers is now voter protection director for the Maine Democratic Party. Most recently, she was trade and investment manager for the U.K. Department for International Trade and is a Hillary Clinton 2016 alum. …   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: As inflation rates soar and disruptions to the global supply chain persist, all eyes are on the nation's economic recovery. But getting back on track in an inclusive and sustainable way is no easy feat. Today, women are still finding themselves disproportionately affected by pervasive inequities when it comes to leadership, wages, and skills-building. Bridging these profound gender 'gaps' will be paramount to the country's ability to achieve sustained growth for the future. But where do we start? POLITICO Focus sat down with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to answer this very question. Click here to see what leaders had to say about the strategies and solutions that will power an economy that benefits all.   Monica Skoko Rodríguez is now director of medical standards at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Most recently, she was executive director of Miami-Dade County's Commission for Women. … Jane Brown has been named CEO of Aetna Kansas. Most recently, she was chief compliance officer at insurance company Avesis. The White House is expected to tap Monica Bertagnolli to be the National Cancer Institute's first female director, STAT News first reported . Currently, Bertagnolli works as a researcher specializing in gastrointestinal cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.   Follow us on Twitter Katelyn Fossett @KatelynFossett   Follow us

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