The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has made Nancy Pelosi’s home state the place that may ultimately decide whether she continues to swing the House gavel in January.
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Steel and another Republican piled up a comfortable lead over Democrat Jay Chen in the primary. Chen has since highlighted Steel’s co-authoring of a Republican bill granting protections from the moment of fertilizationand co-signing the brief supporting the overturning of Roe. Democrats have appealed to the district’s sizable Asian American population — a group that polls indicate are more motivated by abortion than other ethnic groups — with a DCCC spot on the issue focused on Asians.

A Steel spokesman asserted Chen “supports taxpayer funded and painful late-term abortions up until the time of birth” and noted Steel had “shared her personal reasons for being pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and the health and life of the mother, and baby.” A Chen spokesman countered that the bill Steel co-sponsored would allow no such exceptions and said Chen “believes that women should make their own medical decisions.”

Victoria Colliver contributed to this report.