Post- Roe Political Communication: Examining Activist Campaign Strategies in the 2022 Kansas Abortion Referendum

In August 2022, the Kansas primary election ballot featured an abortion referendum called the "Value Them Both" amendment. This represented the first time U.S. voters were able to respond electorally to the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision. Two groups, the Value Them Both Coalition (VTBC) and Kansans for Constitutional Freedom (KCF), were heavily involved in campaigning across television and social media. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of their messaging and identified three approaches used by both campaigns: Integrity Signals, Extremity Emphasis, and Conservative Identity. Findings provide insights into strategic communication frames being employed in the post-Roe political communication landscape.