What a night. Millions of voters took to the polls yesterday, and the
takeaways are many: the blocked political return of a scandal-plagued
former governor, mixed results (once again) for former President Donald
Trump, and primary defeats for two incumbent members of Congress seeking
reelection.

But the most surprising vote — and possibly most wide-reaching — wasn’t
a race between two candidates; it came instead on one of the most
divisive issues in American life: abortion rights. 

In Kansas ... It marked the first time since the Supreme Court struck
down Roe v. Wade that voters had a chance to directly weigh in on
abortion rights.

By a stunning, roughly 20-point margin, Kansas voters rejected a
constitutional amendment that would have given state lawmakers the
chance to either further restrict or ban abortions in the state. Turnout
swelled — “approaching what’s typical for a fall election for governor,”
per the AP — and the “no” vote did well not just in Democratic
strongholds, but in conservative and rural areas, outperforming Joe
Biden's 2020 vote share there.  

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Raghu Manavalan is the Host of POLITICO's Playbook.
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