U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego, the leading Democratic candidate in a closely watched U.S. Senate race, has criticized Republican former President Donald Trump for paving the way for the Arizona Supreme Court last week to reinstate a near-total abortion ban based on an 1864 law written during the U.S. Civil War and when women lacked the right to vote.
Gallego said his internal campaign polling showed Latino voters, and younger Latinos especially, were concerned about abortion rights.
Jennifer Contreras, a 33-year-old school administrator in Tucson, told Reuters that she strongly opposes Trump's agenda, including the moves that led to Arizona's abortion ban.
Contreras, a queer woman born in Tucson to Mexican parents, said she planned to vote for Biden and Gallego even though they are not as progressive as she would prefer. She said her family members would follow her lead because they looked to her for guidance.
"If I vote, 10 other people vote the same way I do," she said.
The top Republican candidate in the race, former television newscaster Kari Lake, once praised the 1864 law, a stance Gallego highlighted in a new digital ad this week. Lake has since reversed her position and has spoken with Arizona lawmakers about overturning it, an adviser said.
"My first act as U.S. senator will be to write a short piece of legislation that fully funds the border wall and expedites the construction immediately," Lake said to cheers.
"I'm pro-life and I'm not going to apologize that I want to save babies and help women," she said.
