It was three years ago today - June 24, 2022 - that Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ramifications from that 6-3 decision are still reverberating across the country as abortion access is now very much a state-by-state thing. In short, it is banned or restricted in Republican-run states and protected in Democratic-governed states like New Jersey and New York.

That decision gave Democrats everywhere a big issue and probably helped the Dems have a much better midterm election that year than expected. They just barely lost the House and gained a seat in the Senate.

Then came 2024.

The talking points about protecting a woman's right to choose were still around, but the results were different.

Elections are not the same. Candidates are different, as are the offices sought. Still, some wondered if abortion rights as a motivator to drive Democratic turnout had waned.

That's a very relevant issue in light of the New Jersey governor's race.

That became clear Tuesday when Mikie Sherrill held a zoom call with the press to announce her endorsement by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey.

It was noted that when it comes to abortion, women growing up today have fewer rights than the grandmothers.

She was asked if the abortion issue still resonates widely.

"I think this still is a really key issue," she said.

New Jersey has moved to protect abortion right legislatively, but has not yet done so through a constitutional amendment, which Sherrill supports.

She suggested that some may have grown lackadaisical about the issue, because they don't know the views of Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

Sherrill and others on the call described him as committed to Donald Trump's MAGA movement. It was Trump, of course, who appointed enough conservative judges to get Roe overturned.

It was mentioned that Ciattarelli never fought then-Governor Chris Christie's refusal to give Planned Parenthood state aid when he (Ciattarelli) was in the Assembly.

On the campaign trail this time around, Ciattarelli has pledged to appoint staunch conservatives to the state Supreme Court, a point cited by Sherrill.

She acknowledged that there are a lot of issues in the campaign. Proving that, she mentioned her goal to make New Jersey more affordable.

The CD-11 congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate was also asked about "pro-life" Democrats. While this is a dwindling group, are they still welcome in the party?

Sherrill replied that Democrats have a "big tent" and that the key is for all in it to support what they think is best for New Jersey.

Teresa Ruiz, the Senate Majority Leader, summed things up, saying that a Ciattarelli governorship would be "disastrous for women and families in New Jersey."