BALTIMORE — Just weeks from the start of voting in Maryland, Democratic congressional candidates hope to capitalize on opposition to South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s newly proposed nationwide abortion ban — an issue that can be politically problematic for Republicans in such a blue state.
Maryland Democrats pounced on the Republican senator’s legislation, which would prohibit doctors nationwide from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. His bill, introduced Tuesday, elevated an issue that many analysts believe benefits Democratic candidates by motivating their party’s voters to turn out in support of abortion rights.
“By introducing this legislation, Republicans have made clear that their true objective is the control of women’s health decisions, not the defense of states’ rights,” said Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes, who is running in the 3rd Congressional District that includes Howard County and parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties.
