Abortion rights heats up two local congressional races
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on abortion rights is spiking interest in two local congressional races.
As KDKA political editor Jon Delano reports, two candidates say the issue has boosted both fundraising and volunteers.
Summer tends to put some campaigns to rest, but the Supreme Court's overturning of abortion rights has had the opposite effect here.
"Those few days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we saw a 60 percent bump in our fundraising," said Chris Deluzio, the pro-choice Democrat in the suburban 17th District, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, the Mt. Lebanon Democrat who left the House to run for the U.S. Senate.
"Whether they're Democrats, independents, Republicans, they're furious at what the Supreme Court has done in gutting the right to an abortion, overturning decades of precedent. And I think women especially are angered and fired up and willing to fight for their rights," Deluzio added.
Deluzio is running against pro-life Republican Jeremy Shaffer.
"The contrast is obvious. He's an extremist on abortion. He's taken the position that there should be no exceptions for rape or incest. He's called for a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions nationwide," says Deluzio.
KDKA's Jon Delano spoke with Shaffer, who was not available to go on camera. Shaffer does support a pro-life constitutional amendment but says he opposes other federal bills, saying this is now a state issue.
As for exceptions, in an iVoter Guide from an earlier race, Shaffer said the only exception was for the life of the mother, but he told KDKA and others he will allow abortions for rape and incest.
"The day that decision came down, we saw the biggest response in fundraising that we've seen in this entire campaign," says Dan Pastore, a businessman and pro-choice Democrat in the 16th District from Butler and Lawrence counties.
Pastore is running uphill against pro-life U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Butler Republican.
"Mr. Kelly's position is one of the most extreme. He has legislation pending in the U.S. Congress that has no exception for rape or incest and would prohibit abortions from about six weeks across the board, dramatically rolling back women's rights in our state of Pennsylvania," says Pastore.
A spokesperson for Kelly noted, "Rep. Kelly sees the Heartbeat Protection Act as the best path forward for legislation at the federal level. He plans to continue advancing the bill, which already has nearly 115 co-sponsors."
While the abortion issue is hot for both sides, it's not clear whether it tops issues like inflation, the attack on the Capitol and the environment. Voters will decide in 18 weeks.