“I will be quoting Lindsey Graham as of August 7, 2022,” White House Press Secretary Karen-Jean-Pierre said. “I’ve been consistent: I think states have to decide the issue of marriage and states have to decide the issue of abortion,” he said. This is from his mouth.”

It was so obvious the apparent wrong timing of the bill’s introduction that a White House aide joked that a Republican lobbyist friend joked that Graham worked for the Biden administration. Other aides suggested that the comments continued the streak of Democrats’ victories that began in midsummer and began to fantasize about sticking to both houses of Congress.

“Democrats may need to send gift baskets and champagne to Graham and other Republicans because of their dedicated service today,” another Democratic official told POLITICO.

The immediate response to Graham’s legislation, which would not only ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy but also allow states to keep and pass more restrictive laws, was a microcosm of how abortion policies have completely upended the midterm race.

It’s not as if the photos that came out of the White House were pure. Live TV coverage of Biden’s speech was surrounded by large red arrows indicating the downward trajectory of the stock market. The more Biden talks about how the legislation will help the economy, the more markets will fall. By the closing bell, Wall Street had suffered its worst day since June 2020, with the Dow Jones down more than 1,250 points.

But Democrats, who have been on the defensive for months with soaring inflation, are once again energized in trying to fend off GOP-led initiatives to restrict abortion rights. Virtually every Senate candidate quickly issued statements criticizing Graham’s bill and asking their Republican opponents if they would sign it.

What are ‘MAGA Republicans’ doing in the Capitol today?’ Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked at a White House event about Democrats’ health care and climate legislation, officially called the Inflation Reduction Act. “A national ban on abortion,” Schumer quipped. “Just unbelievable.”

Senior party activists said they were surprised to see Graham’s move, which they likened to a slow tone plastered in the middle of the canvas. Several admitted that they first learned about the legislation Monday night through Fox News’ Shawn Hannity show, with the latest iteration initially being teased.

There was widespread expectation that Graham’s bill would quickly find its way into fundraising requests from Democrats. These activists added that whether it would become a feature for ad campaigns was a somewhat less relevant point, since much of the current messaging was already geared around abortion—a problem that some GOP contestants were already getting rid of from their websites.

“In almost every race, there are some ads now hitting Republicans about abortion,” said a senior Senate Democratic official.

In Colorado, Republican Senate candidate Joe O’Dea derided the White House’s “enthusiastic rally” as “arrogant,” but acknowledged that Graham’s bill was “reckless and stigmatized as hostile Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer to contemplate any compromise” on Abortion. His opponent, Senator Michael Bennett, called the national abortion ban “outrageous.”

Democratic governors, including those who will be elected to re-election like Steve Sisolak in Nevada, have vowed to ignore the ban if it is passed and pursue every legal option to protect abortion rights.

“Lindsey Graham and House Republicans are reminding Americans of what they’ve already told us – Republican control means they will vote in favor of a nationwide abortion ban,” said DNC spokesman Amar Musa. “This is their agenda.”

Schumer, one of the warm-ups to celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act, conveyed Graham’s plan to the thousands gathered on the South Lawn of the White House, who responded sarcastically. Swirling back and forth with his trademark aviator sunglasses, he didn’t mention Biden Graham — but he did target some of his fellow Republican senators, criticizing Rick Scott and Ron Johnson by name for their efforts to raise taxes. on the working and middle class.

Graham wasn’t the only one who Democrats thought carried the gifts. It was also reported that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who still has presidential ambitions, has been working with abortion opponents to help Republican governors draft legislation in the wake of abortion. Raw vs. Wade His heart is done. A Democrat working on conservative races called him “the cherry on top” today.

Sam Stein contributed to this report.