Frustrated by Washington inaction, Democrats eye power of state offices to defend abortion rights

The throngs of demonstrators amassed outside the US Supreme Court, enraged over a report that a draft majority opinion would strike down abortion rights protected by Roe v. Wade, chanted a crisp, clipped demand to Democratic officials: "Do something!"

The cry echoed across social media and news outlets early Tuesday, a visceral appeal that -- not for the first time during the Biden administration -- underscored Democratic voters' frustration with intraparty gridlock in Washington. But as a new era in the long fight for abortion rights appears near, it has also become clear that the Democrats best positioned to take action often reside far from Capitol Hill, occupying or vying for increasingly powerful state offices, which would no longer be constrained by the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.