At Issue: July 24 — Governor’s race centers on abortion, public safety

Abortion is one of the few issues that might work in favor of Democrats in the midterm elections, and Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are raising the issue every chance they get.

Last week, the Democratic incumbents highlighted recent issues by Matt Birk, Republican Scott Jensen’s running mate, to highlight the differences between the two campaigns. In a speech before an anti-abortion group in Georgia last month, Birk compared abortion to slavery and said women having jobs encourages abortions.

Birk later defended his remarks and blamed “culture” for telling women they “can either have a career or you can be a mother.”

Our political analysts dig in to why abortion and public safety will be the key issues on the ballot in November.