On Tuesday, former Virginia Delegate Lashrecse Aird won a Democratic primary race against incumbent state Sen. Joe Morrissey. The race was largely fueled by the debate over abortion rights in the state, as Morrissey had repeatedly sided with Republicans to restrict abortion while Aird is vocally for abortion rights.

Coming nearly one year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the victory for Aird highlights the ways in which abortion is shaping politics in Virginia and across the United States.

Aird declared victory on Tuesday night, saying in her speech to supporters that she will “be a firewall for our reproductive rights in the face of Republican extremists who think they have the right to make decisions about our own bodies.” Aird, staunchly for abortion rights, was supported by many Virginia Democrats, including every Democratic woman in the state’s Senate; a number of abortion-rights organizations also backed her candidacy. Morrissey, meanwhile, is a self-declared “pro-life” Democrat who has regularly sided with Republicans in the state to restrict abortion rights. The contest between Aird and Morrissey had previously been billed as the race that could potentially “decide the fate of abortion rights in Virginia.” Morrissey conceded defeat on Tuesday night, wishing Aird success and indicating that he was retiring from politics.

Lashrecse Aird

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