For more on House Republicans’ strategy on the abortion issue, tune in to CNN’s “Inside Politics with Manu Raju” this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.
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CNN
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Republicans in some of the nation’s toughest congressional districts have made major moves on abortion, with surprising results. They’re starting to sound like Democrats.
Republican candidates in suburbs like Tucson, Des Moines and Syracuse are appearing in public pledging to never criminalize abortion or support a national ban. Some people go even further. Congressman John Duarte of California’s Central Valley, Congressman Tom Keene Jr. of northern New Jersey and Republican candidate Matt Gunderson of the San Diego area all describe themselves as “pro-choice,” and the latter even speaks directly. In his first television ad, he spoke to the camera and borrowed a phrase from Bill Clinton, who called the procedure “safe, legal and rare.”
In this fall’s House race, powerful Republicans are cautiously rebranding themselves on abortion after largely failing to respond to the relentless attacks from Democrats that hurt Republicans the last time. And they are trying to neutralize Democrats’ most powerful attacks — all in an effort to focus voters’ attention on the U.S.-Mexico border and other energizing issues.
“We’re both pro-choice, so we have an opportunity to put that conversation aside and really have a conversation about the border, inflation, the economy, jobs, crime, education,” Gunderson said. In the interview, he mentioned his opponent, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin.
This may be easier said than done.
Even as swing-seat Republicans try to paint a more nuanced picture of the party’s position on abortion, the National Party has often mixed its messages. Former first lady Melania Trump recently said she supports the right to have an abortion “without interference of any kind.” Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, has taken a staunchly conservative position vowing to defund Planned Parenthood.
And all of this, less than 30 days after the election, highlights a major weakness in the Republican Party. The party continues to struggle to address the issues that have been the bulk of Democratic attacks this cycle. Eighty percent of the TV ad spending by the two major House Democratic groups went to ads focused on abortion. And Democrats’ turn to attack ads has been particularly effective against Republican incumbents with well-documented comments on abortion, like Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa.
“We can’t hide from this,” Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota said, reflecting on the lessons Republicans learned in the 2022 midterm elections. “We had no plan whatsoever for what happened.”
Democrats say their opponents’ efforts to project a moderate stance on abortion are ineffective.
“He’ll probably say whatever he needs to say to try to win and see what sticks,” Levin, a three-term Democrat who cut ads against Gunderson, told CNN. he said.
“We know there are a lot of people around here who would push for a national abortion ban if Mike Johnson was given the power,” he said, even if opponents were to push for a national abortion ban. Levin said, even though he said he opposes both of the bills he codifies. Roe said the issue should be left to the states.
Behind closed doors, Republican leaders have spent months pitching a more moderate message on the issue with candidates in battleground states, particularly in New York and California. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the House Republican campaign manager, is urging Republicans to either make their voices heard or take advantage of Democrats’ massive spending to distort their position. I advised him to face it.
And they have been far more vocal in criticizing misleading Democratic ads and are more vocal about supporting strict abortion bans and restricting abortion, even though Republican candidates have a record of more moderate positions. They accuse him of opposing exceptions. In some cases, fact-checkers agree, such as in key seats in North Carolina and Virginia.
Hudson accused Democrats of “creating a false and distorted impression” of Republicans’ positions on abortion in the 2022 midterm elections, calling out Democrats for espousing their own “extreme” views on the issue. attacked.
“To fight back, we’ve encouraged candidates to be open, candid and empathetic about their positions, and nonpartisan fact-checkers have responded,” Hudson told CNN. “We have been removing attack ads from the Democratic Party that lied one after another.”
Sarah Chamberlain, who heads the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership, recalled warning a prominent Republican pollster on the day of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision that it would be a big problem for women voters. He initially told her she was wrong, but called her after the midterm elections to admit his miscalculation. Since then, Chamberlain has used his polling to persuade key House Republicans to change their approach.
“Don’t use ‘one word’. Talk about it as women’s health care,” Chamberlain said. “There are so many things we can and must win on, the economy, immigration, etc. But this issue remains very persistent.”
In some cases, Republicans are reversing or completely abandoning past anti-abortion rights positions.
When he first ran for Congress in Washington state in 2022, Republican candidate Joe Kent told local news outlets, “I will move to ban abortion nationally.”
This time, Kent filmed an ad that says, “I oppose any new federal legislation on this issue.”
Kent’s opponent, Democratic Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez, criticized Kent’s shift in position in recent candidate debates, saying Kent was playing “both sides of the card.” “The polling agencies are telling him what he should be saying,” he said.
He is not the only one whose public stance has changed. Nunn, a Republican in crisis in Iowa, is fighting for political survival as Democrats spend most of their TV ads on issues in this suburban battleground state.
Nunn’s Democratic opponent, Lannon Buckham, used a clip from the 2022 Republican primary debate in which Nunn raised his hand and argued that all abortions should be illegal in the country to challenge the Republican incumbent. attacked Mr. Nunn did not respond to the abortion issue on air.
And in the key California race for Mr. Levin’s seat, a major Democratic super PAC (House Majority PAC) has set aside $1.5 million to target Mr. Gunderson starting next week. are. Attacks on abortion are also expected to be part of this.
Levin is capitalizing on Gunderson’s opposition to California’s 2022 abortion rights referendum, which the Republican previously called “disgusting” in a meeting with voters.
Asked about those comments, Gunderson told CNN, “What I said was I’m sick of late-term abortions,” and claimed the referendum “opened up a Pandora’s box for late-term abortions.” .
Democratic leaders say Republicans are trying to muddy the waters.
“This is a desperate move by Republicans,” said Rep. Susan DelBene of Washington, the House Democratic campaign manager. “People know where they stand.”
In 2022, Democrats launched $500 million worth of abortion attacks into key races, helping to prevent a Republican upset. This time, Republicans are trying to keep the issue off the Democratic agenda, as is freshman Rep. Mark Molinaro, who is defending a tough seat in upstate New York.
Molinaro was one of the first Republicans this term to run a television ad solely focused on his stance on abortion.
“I believe in supporting all women and the choices they make,” Molinaro tells the camera in the ad.
But even as he sought to counter Democratic attacks, it was not entirely clear what position he stood for. In an interview, the New York Republican emphasized his support for “broader access” to contraception and blocking efforts to ban mifepristone, but does he say he supports restoring Roe or calls himself “a professional?” When asked if he thought it was a “choice”, he did not give a clear answer.
“I describe it as someone who says decisions and choices about reproductive health are between you and your doctor. Nothing else matters, that’s what I believe. That’s true,” Molinaro told CNN. Regarding his decision to speak out about abortion, Molinaro added: “I think it’s important for people to see me explain that I respect and support their choices.”
He’s not the only Republican trying to distance himself from Dobbs’ decision.
Mr. Duarte, a vulnerable California Republican, declined to say whether he supported the 2022 decision to defeat Mr. Roe.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done. It’s in the rearview mirror,” Duarte told CNN. “And the fact is, abortions are happening again in the states where they belong.”
And the congressman argued that his position, and President Trump’s position, is that the issue should be left to the states, in effect pro-abortion rights.
Duarte said, “I’m pro-choice,” and claimed that President Trump is “functionally pro-choice,” but that the former president appointed three Supreme Court justices who criticized Roe. He regularly boasts that he plans to vote against Florida’s abortion rights referendum this year. autumn.
Another battleground Republican, Rep. Juan Siscomani of southern Arizona, ran his own TV ads this fall opposing the federal abortion ban and calling for abortion to be prohibited with certain exceptions, such as to protect the life of the mother. He said he supports it.
In this week’s debate, Siscomani added that he also opposes the state’s Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions, which was recently repealed. But he would not say how he would vote this November on a state ballot measure that guarantees the right to abortion up to the point of viability, only that it is a state issue.
And when asked what he was trying to sell voters in the ad, Ciscomani simply said, “My position.”
