Yes on abortion, no on Tester? A Democratic senator's struggle underscores his party's conundrum

Montana is home to only a handful of abortion providers, but has quickly become a safe haven for abortion care in the rural West .

The state is one of 10 states bringing abortion rights to voters in November ’s election.

While voters are consistently backing abortion rights in referendums, they aren’t always choosing the Democrats who support them.

There are few states remaining that can mount voter referendums on abortion rights and have not already tried.

In 15 states with abortion restrictions, there is no process for citizens to draw up a ballot initiative to challenge the state law.

Most Americans say they support abortion access in the first trimester, for instance, that support drops later in pregnancy.

Just 12% of voters say it is the most important issue for them heading into the 2024 election.

But the vast majority say they believe there should be national protections, and that support spans across party lines.

“Government interfering with just personal decisions, it gets the ire of quite a few Montanans , no matter what political side of the aisle they’re on,” a canvasser says.