(LEX 18) — From ads to debates, abortion rights have emerged as a key issue in the November election despite not appearing on the ballot.
Governor Andy Beshear and supporters have campaigned on Kentucky having one of the most strict laws in the country, criticizing his opponent, Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
On the other hand, Cameron has responded by changing his tune on abortion rights, specifically when dealing with expectations for rape and incest.
"You don't want to be glim, but he probably realized he couldn't not talk about it. You see this with the Democrats with crime, too. You have to have some kind of policy," said Wilfred Reilly, Political Scientist and Associate professor at Kentucky State University.
It's been over a year since Kentucky's trigger law banning abortions was reinstated, and it's still driving voters on both sides of the aisle to the ballot box to support the candidate that aligns with their ideals.
"I think the messaging has reflected that it is a large issue, especially because abortion was totally banned in Kentucky, so a lot of people are being impacted in a way they haven't been impacted by abortion bans before," said Savannah Trebuna, Abortion Support Fund Program Co-Director for the Kentucky Health Justice Network in Louisville.
Trebuna says their organization, which operates out of a reproductive justice lens, has supported more than 1600 people to get abortion services out of state since the ban happened.
Their expenses have tripled to support their clients.
"I definitely think it has motivated people to go out and vote," said Trebuna.
While Reilly doesn't think it's the most important issue on voters' minds this fall, he does believe it's making an impact.
"I think this is an issue that has a great deal of activist support," he explained.
He thinks if the activist support advantages anyone, it will be Beshear.
"This is a tough one for Republicans to handle because a huge chunk of the Republican base is traditional, mostly pro-life, church-going Christians, but to win in a general election, you're going to have to appeal to a lot of folks like business women," said Reilly.
At the same time, since Kentucky is widely known as one of the reddest states in America, Reilly says Democrats still face a challenge.
"Kentucky, I believe, is one of the three states in the union that would be bright still bright red if only women voted, still bright red if only people under thirty voted, so any democrat in office in Kentucky is going to have to engage those facts," explained Reilly.
Trebuna says activists and people who have gotten involved in pro-abortion movements are also considering how candidates act rather than what they say.
"Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, whether you support Dan Cam or not, the fact of the matter is campaign messaging is always going to be a position of gaining campaign points and political points," she said.
It's why Trebuna says she's hoping voters consider down-ballot races and actions taken after the election.
