A Democrat’s Campaign Links Abortion, Immigration, and Freedom in South Florida

For The 19th, Mel Leonor Barclay describes Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign to unseat Senator Rick Scott, one of the state’s two Republican senators. In a state where one in every five voters is Latinx, Mucarsel-Powell is drawing on her own family’s experience immigrating from Ecuador and making reproductive rights a key focus of her campaign. “Conventional wisdom” about Latinx voters’ religious conservatism contradicts recent data that shows Hispanic voters have become mostly supportive of abortion rights. According to PRRI’s latest report, a majority of Hispanic Catholics, 57%, say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, though the number was lower for Hispanic Protestants at 40%.

How West Virginia’s First Transgender Elected Official Is Influencing Local Politics

Leah Willingham at The Associated Press explores the influence of West Virginia’s first transgender elected official, Rosemary Ketchum, on local politics. As one of only a few transgender elected officials in GOP-controlled states, Ketchum says she was elected by focusing on constituents’ needs. “I didn’t run for city council to make history — I ran to make a difference in my community,” she said. Rather than discussing bathroom restrictions or book bans, Ketchum said people are more concerned with local issues like repaving their roads or how many young people are leaving the state. PRRI research finds that 41% of Americans say they would be very or somewhat comfortable learning that a friend is transgender, 33% say they would be uncomfortable, and 25% say it wouldn’t matter either way.

Biden Administration Moves on Immigration Policy Ahead of the Election

The Biden administration recently announced changes to asylum processing and moved to terminate an agreement governing conditions for migrant children, while continuing to weigh larger executive action on the border. The Associated Press reports that a new rule announced Thursday would speed up asylum processing and removal for people believed to have committed serious crimes or who have terrorist links. Additionally, on Friday, the administration filed a request to end Flores Agreement oversight, arguing that new federal regulations ensure the safety of migrant children, according toABC News. PRRI’s 2023 American Values Survey finds that less than one-third of Americans (31%) approve of the job that Biden is doing to handle immigration, while 65% disapprove.

Drugs, Sacraments or Medicine? Psychedelic Churches Blur the Line

At The New York Times, Ernesto Londoño reports that the growing popularity of psychedelic retreats, where participants are protected by religious freedom laws to connect with the divine using psychoactive substances that would typically be illegal, are blurring the lines of where drug policy and religion intersect. While mental health experts and law enforcement officials are raising the alarm around concerns about safety and oversight, many participants are reporting transformative, alleviating spiritual experiences. PRRI researchfinds that religiously unaffiliated Americans who identify as “nothing in particular” (45%) are the most likely to consider themselves spiritual compared with 38% of agnostics and 20% of atheists.