Abortion Attitudes and the Louisiana Governor's Election

Abstract

Research on the impact of the abortion issue on electoral outcomes has yielded mixed results. Although no such impact has been found at the national level, recent research indicates that abortion attitudes may be influential in state-level elections. Using survey data gathered in 1990 and 1991, the present research studies the influence of the abortion issue on the recent Louisiana gubernatorial race. Louisiana serves as an appropriate case for analysis due to the high visibility of controversial antiabortion legislation passed by the state legislature and the incumbent governor's veto of that legislation. The findings indicate that the influence of the abortion issue on vote is conditioned by a number of factors, and that its impact is likely to be felt only under very specific circumstances.