Abortion wins elections. Why won’t Democrats say the word?

In the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, we have seen attacks on reproductive health care become broader and more dangerous as anti-abortion politicians at the state and federal levels seek to ban access to a key abortion medication nationwide .

The midterms offer a key moment to fight back. But are candidates up to the task?

Back in the day, before MAGA was a thing, Republicans for Choice was a substantial element of the Republican Party. Today, just two Republican senators even purport to support abortion rights. There are none in the House. Federal Election Commission reporting last year for Republicans for Choice disclosed that they raised a paltry $23,000 and ended the year with $4,900 in cash on hand. Republicans for Choice now is more a punchline than a PAC.

Sen. Susan Collins’s (R-Maine) campaign for reelection is downright uncomfortable to watch. While she continues to proclaim she is pro-choice on abortion, she continues to stand by her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh and other anti-abortion judges . Finding Republican candidates for office at the state level who support legal abortion can be even more challenging. Vermont’s Gov. Phil Scott (R) might be the only one.

That presents a problem for anyone who believes that protecting reproductive freedom is a priority. We are left with one suitor for our votes: the Democratic Party.

Polling confirms that the majority of Americans believe there should be access to legal abortion nationwide. Support is overwhelming for abortion through the first trimester, and not too shabby for later in pregnancy. Moreover, one in four women will have an abortion in her lifetime. The personal is political.

Yet Democrats shy away from using the “A-word” on the campaign trail.

In Texas, state Rep. James Talarico (D) has been open about his support for abortion rights, noting it as part of his freedom-family-faith platform on his website and underscoring in a recent debate that the Bible does not comment on abortion. But he has not proactively made it an issue of his campaign. Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has been going after reproductive rights like a rabid raccoon since the fall of Roe v. Wade. With fewer than two weeks until the election, Talarico’s support for legal access to abortion should come out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), also vehemently anti-abortion, stands in sharp contrast to his challenger for governor, Gina Hinojosa (D). Yet her campaign ad on the issue was — well, not exactly on the issue. Hinojosa spoke about her own pregnancy complications and very difficult loss without acknowledging that her choice would not be an option today in Texas. She left supporters baffled and disappointed.

Coming out in support of abortion rights is a winning strategy. Nearly every ballot measure seeking to expand abortion rights in states across the nation has been overwhelmingly passed and the abortion-rights odds look good on four states’ ballot measures now. Elections in which candidates have emphasized increasing or preserving access to abortion has been a path to victory for them.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has a pre-election opportunity to show she has earned her hero’s cape when it comes to reproductive rights. Legislation awaiting her signature would provide protections for New York clinicians to continue to provide an essential abortion and miscarriage management medication — mifepristone — despite the federal government’s attacks on it.

After President Trump appointed three vehemently anti-abortion Supreme Court justices , the Democrat-led house failed to act when they had their chance. We can and should demand more. Because if we don’t, Democrats may not deliver for us either.

We witnessed this recently as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a staunch supporter of abortion rights, disappointingly vetoed a bill that would have kept strong the telemedicine abortion shield law he supported and signed even after he leaves office. We can and should expect more from former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s (D) campaign .

Now, during the height of election season, government powerbrokers need to prioritize abortion rights. It is a winning strategy that will inspire more voters to turn out at the voting booth. We must be vigilant and not cede ground to an anti-abortion minority that never stops paying attention.

Julie F. Kay, a human rights attorney, is the founder and CEO of Reproductive Futures and co-author of “ Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom. “