The fight over the right to an abortion has expanded into yet another corner of American political life: the races to fill seats on state supreme courts.

Abortion is a central issue for progressive court candidates in Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.

An effort is underway in Arizona to oust two justices who voted last spring to uphold a 160-year-old ban on most abortions.

In Texas, rulings by the state’s highest state court to sharply limit access to abortion have set off a campaign against three justices who are seeking re-election.

And in Montana, where new justices could undo a ruling that made abortion access a constitutional right, outside money from both the left and right has turned contests for two court seats into multimillion-dollar elections.

For decades, the issue of abortion powered conservative efforts to remake the federal judiciary. This time, progressive candidates and their backers are betting that it can be the driving force in state court races — but this time, to their benefit.