Former President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court may have inadvertently jeopardized his chances in the 2024 election. According to experts, the very justices he selected, particularly those who played a role in overturning Roe v. Wade, might be the reason he lost his bid for a second term.
Trump’s appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett solidified a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, leading to the 2022 Dobbs decision, which reversed decades of established reproductive rights. The decision ignited a national outcry and has become a pivotal issue in American politics. Over the past two years, voters across the country, including those in traditionally conservative states, have consistently rejected measures that would restrict abortion rights and have supported those that enshrine reproductive freedom into law.
With Vice President Kamala Harris now at the top of the Democratic ticket, experts believe Trump will face voters who are still angry about the Dobbs ruling. Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education & Politics at Third Way, told Newsweek, “[b]ut the Dobbs decision might be the top of that list” when it comes to issues that could cost Trump the election.
“Every single time abortion rights have been on the ballot since Dobbs, voters have sided with reproductive freedom, and Democrats have overperformed,” Erickson noted. This sentiment has already played a significant role in the 2022 midterms, where Democrats exceeded expectations partly due to the backlash against the Dobbs decision.
In the 2024 election, abortion remains a key issue, ranking just behind the economy in importance according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. In swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, abortion is second only to the economy, with a notable portion of voters placing it at the top of their concerns.
Strategist Jay Townsend emphasized the importance of this issue for Harris, saying that if she wins in November, “reproductive freedom will be one of the reasons [why].” He added, “The only way pro-choice voters get what they want is by voting for Harris. And most of them rightly believe that Trump took that right away with his Supreme Court picks.”
Harris has made reproductive rights a central issue in her campaign, traveling across the country to emphasize the importance of protecting these freedoms. In her acceptance speech, she pointed directly at Trump, saying, “Donald Trump handpicked members of the U.S. Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now, he brags about it.”
As the 2024 election approaches, it’s clear that Trump’s Supreme Court appointments, intended to secure conservative victories, might instead be the catalyst for his defeat.