Republicans are ramping up their pro-abortion messaging, aiming to blunt Democratic attempts to portray abortion as extreme in the run-up to the election.
In debates, Republican congressional candidates have taken a more aggressive approach when talking about the issue, accusing Democrats of misrepresenting their positions. The Republican campaign has been successful in selling fact-checking to local media outlets that distinguishes Democratic claims, and candidates are airing ads directly stating their positions on abortion.
In an unusually graphic example of that aggression Monday, Rep. Nick Larota (R.N.Y.) Zoom debate format He pushed back Democratic challenger John Avalon, much to the dismay of the hosts. As Avalon mentioned Larota, said Larota opposed second-trimester and second-trimester abortions and held up a sign that read, “I oppose a national abortion ban.”
The tactic marks a shift from the last election cycle in 2022, when many Republicans (who were caught off guard by the Supreme Court overturning the federal right to abortion that year) primarily ranked high. The aim was to shift the focus of the message to other issues, such as the economy and immigration. Polls show growing concern.
The Republican Party's performance was weaker than expected, and it was widely acknowledged that the abortion issue had broken the expected “red wave.”
Democrats have waged a major campaign on abortion access this year, with candidates in battleground states across the country attacking Republicans on the issue.
But this year, Republican strategists advised candidates to clarify their positions on abortion early and use that clarity to counter Democratic messages.
CBS News Colorado, for example, is trying to connect Republican challenger Gabe Evans with hardline conservative Republicans like Rep. Lauren Boebert (D-Colo.) Rep. Yadira Carabeo. (Colorado Democratic Party) campaign ad. ).
“He only cares about Ms. Boebert,” said a man identified as an independent voter. It says in the advertisement“Ban abortion,” etc.
The Democratic Party is pointed to the questionnaireEvans filled out 2022 and checked the box saying she supports banning abortion unless necessary to save the mother's life. But CBS News' Colorado political correspondent said the statement was misleading and pointed to the offending page on Evans' website: long statement on abortion In it, he said, “I will not vote for a nationwide abortion ban.”
Democrats argue that Republicans are simply hiding their past positions and records. And while many Republicans have said they do not support a national abortion ban, Democrats have pointed to stricter bans in effect at the state level and codified Roe v. Wade's protections. We are proposing a bill to do so.
“House Republicans are desperately trying to hide their anti-abortion record because they know they are on the wrong side of the issue,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Beto Shelton said in a statement. Ta. “No matter how hard they try, the fact remains the same: They all root for Roe's downfall and claim they want to take away reproductive freedom. will reject the anti-abortion extremism of
Mr. Carabeo's campaign manager, Mary Alice Blackstock, said in a statement that Mr. Evans is “trying to put his past behind him” now that he is running for Congress.
“From opposing the Colorado Reproductive Health Equity Act to praising Dobbs' decision, Gabe Evans is too extreme for this district. Voters need to protect their rights, not take them away. We deserve representation who will fight for it,” Blackstock added.
But fact-checking that Evans' campaign has pitched to local media shows that Republicans are having some success in taking a more aggressive stance. Similar fact-checking has taken place in other close races across the country, as Republicans focused on pushing back on Democrats rather than pivoting to other issues.
Last year, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of the House Republican Party, conducted an extensive campaign involving focus groups and battleground polls to understand how abortion was impacting the campaign. A research project was conducted.
The committee's conclusions regarding candidates in battleground states were clear. “You have to be very clear about your position, because if you don't, you're going to brand Democrats with the wrong position,” an NRCC source told The Hill.
This backlash is evidenced by Republicans becoming more vocal about their positions in debates in some races.
Under discussionIn the race for Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel voted in favor of a bill in the House Appropriations Committee that would ban the mailing of drugs used in abortions. Amid intra-party bickering within the Republican Party, the bill never received a vote in the House.
“Taking that away really hurts our rural women,” Engel continued, criticizing Ciscomani, who sits on the board of an organization related to pregnancy support. .
Siscomani accused Engel of mistaking his position and being “completely clutching at straws,” saying he does not support a federal abortion ban, supports exceptions, and supports in vitro fertilization (IVF). He repeatedly claimed that he did.
The core of many of the attacks by Democrats appears to be that Republicans in the past sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which would “equally protect the right to life of born and unborn human beings.” This short-term bill was widely seen as a message bill that had been introduced over several years and had no chance of becoming law.
The bill “shall not be construed to authorize the prosecution of a woman for the death of her unborn child,” but the bill is widely understood to be a measure to criminalize abortion, and there are no exceptions. Not made clear.
Nebraska State Senator Tony Vargas, the Democratic challenger to Representative Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), said: brought up the billDuring a debate between candidates, he said there was “no carve-out” for IVF, or “if a 10-year-old is raped.”
Mr. Bacon previously co-sponsored the bill, but is not a co-sponsor of the latest version, which will be introduced in 2023. And in the debate, he pushed back against Vargas.
“You need to read the bill. It doesn't mention abortion at all,” Bacon said during the debate, adding that he has clearly expressed support for abortion exceptions elsewhere.
The bill is also a key element in the Iowa election. The campaign of Democratic Rep. Christina Bohanan, who is challenging Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), claims that Meeks would “ban all abortions nationwide, without exception.” Posted an ad.
one On-site fact checkingIn the WQUAD ad, the entire ad was found to be false. The paper noted that Miller-Meeks previously supported the Conception Lifesaving Act in 2021, but not in 2023. But it also said that “her voting record also reflects support for rape and incest exceptions.”
But reflecting the difficulties that previous positions pose for Republicans, Another fact checkThe same ad in another local media outlet, KCRG, simply said that Miller-Meeks was indeed a co-sponsor of the Life at Conception bill.
In a statement to The Hill, Bohanan reiterated the claims in the ad, saying that Miller-Meeks “supported rape, incest, and a national abortion ban with no exceptions for women's lives. Now she is trying to rewrite history because she knows her anti-government position.” -Abortion records don't match people in Iowa. ”
Miller-Meeks himself responded: broadcast with advertisementsHe directly expressed support for rape, incest, and maternal life exceptions, and supported access to contraception.
Sara Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, said this direct-to-camera approach is exactly what voters want from candidates on the issue.
Chamberlain said her organization has found through focus groups that voters want to hear directly from candidates about their positions on abortion after the overwhelming 2022 midterm elections.
“They want candidates to go directly to the camera and have a conversation with them,” Chamberlain said.
But while Chamberlain and the NRCC can offer advice on how to express their messages, it's up to Republican candidates to decide how they think policy-wise about abortion and what they support. He said it was up to him.
