RELEASE: Four Years After Dobbs, Reproductive Freedom is On the Line in State Legislative Races

The battle for reproductive freedom is being fought in statehouses as Republicans continue to intensify deadly attacks

WASHINGTON — Today marks the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, kicking laws around abortion access and reproductive care to the states. While Democratic majorities in state legislatures have prioritized protections for reproductive care, state Republicans have opened the floodgates around a crusade of deadly attacks on abortion care, maternal care, IVF access, birth control, and more.   The DLCC remains on the front lines of winning more Democratic majorities to reshape the landscape of reproductive care and combat extreme GOP abortion bans, and 2026 marks our most ambitious Target Map ever to put more Democrats in charge of statehouses.   Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams issued the following statement:   “Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, state legislatures have become the decisive battleground in the fight for access to essential, lifesaving reproductive care. We’ve seen just how extreme and deadly Republicans’ attacks are, but those attacks won’t go unanswered. This November, the DLCC is bringing a historic strategy to compete for majorities across the country to reshape the landscape of reproductive health care nationwide. Our battleground races are the strongest path to reshape the future of reproductive freedom for millions of Americans – both now and for future generations.”   The 2026 DLCC Target States That Will Shape The Future of Reproductive Freedom in America:  

• Wisconsin: As Democrats prepare to flip both chambers in the legislature, there is a huge opportunity to transform the landscape of care in Wisconsin with pro-reproductive freedom legislation. Wisconsin has faced a series of attacks on reproductive care under GOP control, as they’ve advance bills to criminalize abortion care by establishing fetal personhood and forcing patients to collect and turn over medical waste if they pursue a medication abortion.
• Arizona: Democrats could flip the legislature, empowering them to pursue an agenda that safeguards abortion access and protects the will of voters, who overwhelmingly supported a pro-abortion ballot measure in 2024. The GOP legislature has continued to flout voters and introduced 16 bills this session alone to restrict abortion, which is why winning Democratic control is crucial.
• New Hampshire: If Democrats flip both legislative chambers, they could work to pass legislation that would codify the right to reproductive care in the state. New Hampshire Republicans have continued to undermine access by proposing legislation to tighten abortion restrictions, raising the stakes for winning legislative control in November.
• Michigan: If Democrats flip the state House and maintain the state Senate, Democrats can pass a slew of policies advancing reproductive freedom. Although voters approved a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to reproductive health care in 2022, Michigan Republicans have continued introducing legislation to ban abortion – creating a trifecta is the only way to stop these attacks.
• North Carolina: Democrats must hold all 49 of their House seats to prevent a Republican supermajority, and they must flip at least one Senate seat to break the GOP supermajority in that chamber. This would enhance Gov. Stein’s veto power over anti-abortion legislation that is frequently advanced by state Republicans, including a bill that recently treated abortion as murder and threatened deadly force against those who aid with abortion access.
• Pennsylvania: Democrats must maintain the one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House that has prevented a vote on a constitutional amendment to ban abortion care in the commonwealth, a longstanding Republican priority.
• Alaska: Building stronger coalitions in both chambers of the statehouse would give the Majority Coalitions greater leverage to block the most extreme GOP policies, given Republicans have introduced extreme legislation that would have forbidden the state from spending money on abortions unless the procedures were designated as a ‘mandatory service’ under Medicaid.

 

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) leads the national strategy to secure Democratic power in our state legislatures. We are the campaign arm for more than 3,000 state legislators and thousands of candidates across all 50 states who are advancing Democratic values and standing up to the dangerous MAGA agenda every single day. Over the last decade, our work has flipped 10 new chamber majorities. Those new majorities have ensured Democrats in state legislatures are positioned to protect our democracy and fundamental rights, while addressing the high cost of living and advancing opportunities. The DLCC’s national strategy and target map continue to pinpoint the most efficient paths to Democratic power across all 50 states.

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