Abortion an answer to inflation? Democrats have overplayed their hand, and voters know it.

Give Stacey Abrams credit for her honesty.

The Democratic contender for governor of Georgia is laying out her party’s stance on abortion loud and clear.

In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe" last week, Abrams made the case for how abortion is more than a women’s rights issue.

“Abortion is an economic issue,” she said. “It’s been reduced to this idea of a culture war.”

When asked to clarify what she would do to fight inflation – the No. 1 issue on voters’ minds – she brought the conversation back to abortion: “Having children is why you're worried about your price for gas. It's why you're concerned about how much food costs.”

Mainstreaming abortion

That’s a disconcerting argument, but not surprising coming from Abrams. Recall how last month she also said a fetal heartbeat at six weeks is a “manufactured sound” so men can control women’s bodies.

Democrats have also led a shift in the language around abortion, which the news media have adopted. It’s no longer just abortion – it’s “abortion care” or reproductive health. Anything that avoids focusing on what abortion actually is.

Others on the left are comfortable celebrating abortion itself. Last month, the Women’s March – the group that champions progressive women – tweeted: “We're not just pro-choice. We are proudly, unapologetically pro-abortion.”

This rhetoric is part of a concerted push to ennoble abortion as Democrats seek to rally their base ahead of the midterm elections following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June.

Is this what America has become?: Medical students shunned a doctor because of her abortion views.

Democrats' (not voters') top issue

The strategy doesn’t seem to be working. And I believe Democrats and progressives have overplayed their support of abortion on demand and have succeeded in alienating even members of their own party.

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll highlights how 37% of voters say the economy and inflation are what will determine their vote. Less than half that number – 18% – pointed to abortion.

Other polls have similarly shown a shift toward Republicans in recent weeks, even among independent women, as the economy tops all other concerns.

Will Oregon go Republican?: GOP surge at state level shines a light on what voters want.

Abortion as economic development?

That's not stopping the abortion rhetoric on the campaign trail, and Abrams isn't the only rising Democratic star to make an economic case for abortion.

In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has staked her campaign for reelection on “fighting like hell” for legal abortion. At a recent forum for Detroit business leaders, Whitmer said she saw population growth and abortion rights as central to her economic plan (a bit counterintuitive, if you ask me).

Whitmer is a strong proponent of Proposal 3, the constitutional amendment that would give Michigan one of the most lenient abortion laws in the country. If it passes, and she keeps her job, she envisions using these abortion rights to “start stealing” business headquarters from neighboring states that would have stricter limits on abortion, including Indiana and Ohio.

SCOTUS decision could backfire: Dumping Roe may backfire on abortion opponents. Republicans should have been ready.

“Go to Purdue and talk to every woman engineer, as well as Ohio State, and bring them to Michigan, where you can have full rights to make your own decisions about your health and your body and a great job," Whitmer told the crowd.

'Safe and legal, but rare'

Many Democrats running for office this year have refused to support any limits on abortion throughout a pregnancy, which puts them at odds with what most Americans (including most Democrats) want. The majority of people don’t see abortion in absolute terms, especially when it comes to later stages of pregnancy.

What will matter more in midterms?: Will abortion rights or the price of bread drive women voters to polls?

Whatever happened to the Democratic stance laid out by former President Bill Clinton? Nearly 30 years ago, he famously said: “As a nation, our goal should be to protect individual freedom, while fostering responsible decision-making, an approach that seeks to protect the right to choose, while reducing the number of abortions. Our vision should be of an America where abortion is safe and legal, but rare.”

The “rare” part of that has gotten thrown out the window. A Pew Research Center analysis shows there has been a slight increase in abortion rates.

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'Pro-choice' women go GOP

Extreme messaging and the obsession with abortion have turned off even self-proclaimed pro-choice, Democratic women.

GOP is no longer the part of old, white men: Meet the conservative women on the rise.

For instance, Maud Maron, a New Yorker who ran in the Democratic primary for Congress this year, recently wrote a piece about how she is supporting the Republican candidate for governor of New York in November, and she says she’s not alone. She’s tired of Democrats ignoring the issues people are most worried about, whether the economy or crime.

“I am still pro-choice – but listening to Gov. Kathy Hochul constantly campaign on abortion is just one more reason I am voting for Rep. Lee Zeldin,” Maron wrote.

And there’s Jennifer Sey, who was pushed out of her job as a Levi’s executive because of her advocacy for reopening schools during COVID-19. She recently observed on Twitter: “I'm prochoice. But when Dem candidates answer questions about inflation w/ 'but abortion' it demonstrates such gross disregard for the issues impacting people's lives.”

That’s a great point, and it’s one too many Democrats have dismissed.

By championing abortion without limits, turning it into an “economic” issue and avoiding other voter concerns, Democrats have erred – and succeeded in giving Republicans the upper hand.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As voters worry about inflation, Democrats obsess over abortion