Democrats’ hopes rise for midterms amid backlash over abortion access

Democrat Pat Ryan made abortion central to his campaign, and defeated Republican Mark Molinaro in contested House election

After months of bracing for staggering losses, Democrats are suddenly filled with a sense of optimism that the 2022 midterm elections could defy historical precedent and see them perform strongly, especially by highlighting the Republican threat to abortion rights.

On Tuesday night, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Mark Molinaro in a fiercely contested special House election in New York's Hudson Valley, in a contest that was seen as a barometer of impact of the US supreme court's decision to end the constitutional right to an abortion.