Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is slamming Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno for comments he made about the attitudes of many suburban women toward abortion.
WCMH, the Columbus-based NBC affiliate, Reported Moreno, speaking during a videotaped town hall meeting in Warren County on Friday, said Democrats have a lot of “single-issue voters” and that support for abortion, especially among suburban women, is “a little weird.”
“And by the way, the sad thing is, a lot of suburban women are like, 'Listen, I'm done with abortion. If I can't get it whenever I want in this country, I'm going to vote for somebody else.' … I get it. And by the way, this might sound a little weird, but especially for women over 50, they're like, in their mind, 'I don't think that's an issue for you,'” he said.
Haley slammed Moreno's comments in a post on X, suggesting they could jeopardize her election in a tight race against incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (Democrat).
“Do you want to lose the election? I'm asking my friends.” #tonedeaf #DonLemonVibes Haley was referring to comments made by former CNN anchor Don Lemon last year who said that at 52, Haley was “not in her prime yet.”
Moreno campaign spokeswoman Reagan McCarthy said in a statement that the candidate was “joking” and that he believes women don't just vote on specific issues, but care about other issues as well.
“Bernie was clearly joking about Sherrod Brown and the left-wing media pretending that abortion is the only issue that matters to women voters,” McCarthy said.
“Bernie's view is that women voters care just as much about the economy, rising prices, crime and an open southern border as male voters, and he's tired of Democrats and their left-wing media friends constantly treating all women as if they're automatically pro-abortion voters who won't vote on any other issues of concern,” she continued.
Moreno's campaign did not comment on Haley's criticism.
Brown also slammed Moreno's comments, claiming that he “believes he knows more than the 57 percent of Ohioans who expressed an opinion on this issue.” Ohio voters handily approved a ballot measure last year that would have added abortion protections up to the point of viability to the state constitution.
“Ohioans believe women should have the power to make their own health care decisions, and so does Bernie Moreno. As a man over 50, I believe deeply that women should have the power to make their own health care decisions — for my daughters, my granddaughters and all women in Ohio, regardless of age,” Brown said. “Despite the vast majority of Ohioans agreeing with me, Moreno has made it clear he intends to overturn the will of the Ohioan people by passing a nationwide abortion ban.”
Moreno said this month that he believes abortion should be “largely” left to states to decide, but that he supports “common sense limits” at the federal level after the 15th week of pregnancy.
Reproductive rights have been a particularly strong rallying issue for Democrats following the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade and are seen as a factor in the party's better-than-expected performance in that year's midterm elections.
Vice President Harris also weighed in on the issue, attacking former President Trump's role in appointing the justices who ultimately voted to overturn Roe.
The Ohio Senate race is one of the most competitive this year and could help determine which party controls the Senate in the next legislative session. While the state is likely to vote for Trump for president, Brown is seeking reelection and currently holds a narrow lead in the Decision Desk HQ/The Hill average.
