Like ‘two separate elections.’ How abortion and inflation have taken over California political ads

LOS ANGELES — The congressional election ads bombarding Californians show a sharp dichotomy in priorities — Democrats are laser-focused on abortion access, while Republicans zero in on inflation.

GOP candidates paint their rivals as out of touch with the financial hardships facing voters amid economic uncertainty not seen in more than a decade. After the overturn of Roe v. Wade, many Democrats frame their opponents as antiabortion extremists in a state where voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights.

“It’s almost as if there are two separate elections taking place in two entirely separate versions of the political multiverse,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political communication at USC and UC Berkeley.

“Republicans want the campaign to be about inflation. Democrats want it to be about abortion. There’s no real effort on either side to persuade voters to change their minds about an issue,” he said. “At this point, it’s simply a matter of the two parties trying