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Abortion reshapes the swing state landscape
A revealing new study sheds light on how abortion and reproductive rights are shaping the race in six crucial swing states. In North Carolina, a stunning admission about abortion has shaken up the governor's race - we'll explore what it means for the presidential contest. Plus, the battle for rural voters heats up as Republicans aim to expand their lead in less populated regions.
null - A solid majority of Hispanic Americans — whether they’re Catholic, Protestant or religiously unaffiliated — believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to a new poll.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted Sept. 12-16, comes as debate over abortion access remains a topic of interest going into the U.S. presidential election in November.
The Democrat’s presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, strongly supports abortion rights. Her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, boasts about appointments he made to the Supreme Court that led to repeal of the nationwide right to abortion.
For decades, some political analysts have sought to depict Hispanic Americans as "socially conservative," and indeed many of them are. But the poll found that around 6 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and about two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
A similar share think Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortions nationwide.
RELATED: Map: The most religious US states in 2024, according to report
The findings are similar to other major religious groups in the U.S. except for White evangelical Protestants – as only about one-quarter of them say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Overall, a majority of U.S. Catholics from multiple demographics support abortion-rights, even though the Catholic hierarchy describes opposition to abortion as its preeminent priority.
Hispanic Americans’ views on abortion post-Roe v. Wade
About 4 in 10 U.S. Hispanics identify as Catholic, about one-third as Protestant or "other Christian," and about one-quarter as religiously unaffiliated, according to the AP-NORC poll.
About half of the Protestants identified as evangelical or born-again, as did about 10% of the Catholics.
Ali Valenzuela, an American University professor of government who studies Latino politics, told the AP that many Hispanics used to be anti-abortion, primarily because of their religious views. He attributed a shift in viewpoints to "the changed political reality" after the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which put abortion access at risk in many states.
About 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestant and Catholic registered voters said abortion policy is among the most important issues for their vote in November, according to the poll. They were more likely to say the economy, health care, crime and immigration are among the most important issues.
FILE - A California primary voter shows the Spanish language "I Voted" sticker outside a polling station June 7, 2016, in San Diego, California. (Photo by BILL WECHTER/AFP via Getty Images)
Hispanic American views on Trump vs. Harris
When it comes to the 2024 presidential race, Hispanic Americans were largely divided in their assessments of Harris and Trump in the poll.
Harris was viewed somewhat or very favorably by about 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and about half of Hispanic Catholics. Trump was viewed favorably by about 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and Catholics.
Lorraine Martinez, a 68-year-old from California, said she was raised Catholic. While she’s not a regular churchgoer now, her upbringing in the faith informs her values to "take care of your neighbor, be kind and not cruel," she told the AP.
Martinez said her 35 years as a schoolteacher inform her priorities this election season: immigration and education.
"To see (migrant) kids come in and they’re flourishing, and the acceptance of the other children for them is phenomenal," Martinez, who remembers Vietnamese refugees in her school starting in the 1980s and different groups of immigrants since, told the AP.
Martinez, who plans to vote for Harris, added she strongly opposes mass deportations and family separations.
She also supports legal access to abortion, viewing reproductive health issues, including IVF treatments, as something women should decide without governmental interference.
Pam Butcher, 54, from Waverly, West Virginia — whose mother’s family came to the U.S. from Mexico — is a Trump supporter who says abortion should be illegal in most cases.
"It’s very important to me; I’m pro-life," Butcher told the AP. "I mean, if a mother’s life is in danger, then it has to be done in order to save her, and if that’s her choice, possibly rape and incest … but to me, it’s murder."
She added that Trump "didn’t outlaw abortion, but instead gave the states back their rights" on a highly contentious issue.
Butcher attends a Protestant church and says her faith is important in her daily life as well as her decision to vote for Trump.
"The country was founded on religious principles," she told the AP. "I don’t think that religion should be forced on anyone. But I also don’t believe that it should be forced out of everything either."
RELATED: More Americans identify as ‘religiously unaffiliated’ than 10 years ago, especially this group
Gabriela Maldonaldo, a 20-year-old Catholic from Chicago, also said she’s voting for Trump. Maldonaldo said she opposes abortion, while adding that sometimes it’s a medical necessity. She believes Republicans will be better able to handle other issues that are important to her, including the economy, crime and immigration.
To Haylee Rader, a 21-year-old from California, the top issue this election season is inflation.
"It’s hard even to afford a gallon of milk, and gas is really high," the community college student told the AP, adding that her mother, who’s Latina, has to drive half an hour to work.
On immigration, Rader believes that "just crossing over is wrong," and that the government needs a better system to legally process those who come seeking safety in the United States.
In the AP-NORC poll, about half of Hispanic Protestant and Catholic registered voters said immigration is one of the most important issues this election. Only about 1 in 10 in each group said it’s not important.
Roughly 6 in 10 Hispanic Protestants and Catholics said religious groups should provide assistance to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, according to the poll – a figure that lines up with the views of Americans overall.
Neither Trump nor Harris has an edge among Latino Catholics on their handling of immigration, according to the poll. Latino Protestants are slightly more likely to say they trust Trump to handle the issue.