Abortion issues heat up Richmond's first mayoral election post-Roe

Abortion is taking center stage in Richmond's first mayoral election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Why it matters: Local officials actually play a key role in determining access in Virginia. Policies like zoning dictate where an abortion clinic can or cannot exist, according to a recent report from the RAND Corporation.

For example, Washington County in Southwest Virginia passed an ordinance restricting where an abortion clinic can be built last year.

• Alexandria City Council did the opposite and made it easier to open abortion clinics.

Zoom in: Richmond transferred an old school site over to the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood to build a third clinic in the city.

• That was via an ordinance co-sponsored by Mayor Stoney and city councilman and mayoral candidate Andreas Addison this summer.

Yes, but: Candidates aren't exactly explaining that process or the authority a mayor does or doesn't have in protecting abortion in Richmond — making abortion more of a talking point than a concrete policy proposal.

• And as Election Day nears, some of Richmond's mayoral candidates are increasingly using abortion rights as a way to go after their opponents.

Driving the news: In Tuesday's mayoral forum , Harrison Roday came for Danny Avula over whether he actually supports abortion access.

• Avula, a pediatrician who's been criticized for accepting donations from someone once tied to an anti-abortion group , shot back by saying he's spent a decade " drawing in new resources " to expand access to reproductive healthcare.
• Michelle Mosby, the only Black woman running, noted she's the sole candidate who has experience with women's reproductive healthcare as a patient. The fifth candidate is Maurice Neblett.

The latest: An Axios reporter received a mail flier from New Virginia Majority, authorized by Roday, on Wednesday once again calling into doubt Avula's pro-abortion stances.

Between the lines: It's unclear whether these back-and-forths on one of the most hot-button topics of the year will sway voters and affect the election's outcome.

• But it could signal who the candidates see as their greatest competition.

Go deeper: The candidates running to be Richmond's next mayor