Abortion will be key issue in 2022 vote, lawmaker says

 Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter. (Special to The Panther)

Orangeburg Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter said midterm elections could go Democrats’ way, powered by the overturn of Roe vs. Wade and votes from youth.

Cobb-Hunter spoke about the importance of the upcoming election during a news conference held with student journalists on Sept. 27.

“This is, quite frankly, the most important for reasons of choice,” Cobb-Hunter said of the midterm election compared to votes of the past.

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade allows states to limit and control women’s access to abortions. The decision will help Democrats during the election, Cobb-Hunter said.

She believes that some single-issue voters will base their vote on the restriction of abortion rights and the question of body autonomy. The court decision unsettled men and women, and will be felt at the ballot box, Cobb-Hunter said.

The veteran Democratic lawmaker also stressed the significance of the upcoming election as it relates to the youth. The next generation will have to fix things that today’s leaders messed up, Cobb-Hunter said.

“Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does,” Cobb-Hunter said.

She highlighted the S.C. Governor’s race and explained the value of controlling the legislature.

“It is important who sits in the Governor’s Mansion,” Cobb-Hunter said of the race between incumbent Republican Henry McMaster and Democratic challenger Joe Cunningham.

It is possible that S.C. General Assembly’s GOP majorities can agree on limiting abortions, if the election goes their way, Cobb-Hunter said.

Addressing students, Cobb-Hunter urged them to pay attention to the factors of this election.

“You will be a generation of students who will be the first to lose a right, and when I say lose a right, I’m talking about the right of body autonomy,” Cobb-Hunter said.

“You should care about who represents you in Columbia.”

Cobb-Hunter believes that the result of the election will be Democrats holding the U.S. House and controlling the Senate by two seats.

Cobb-Hunter cited other midterm issues, including inflation, student debt and saving democracy.

• “A single president does not control inflation,” Cobb-Hunter said. The Biden administration did not cause inflation, and there is a current decrease in gas prices and an increase in job growth.
• “It’s a promise that he (Biden) kept,” Cobb-Hunter said regarding student loans. Some Democrats believe that the relief of a maximum of $20,000 is not enough.
• Saving the democracy is a big issue, Cobb-Hunter said, citing election deniers and the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.