Republicans are shifting their defensive messaging on abortion into high gear to blunt Democrats’ attempts to portray it as extreme in the run-up to the election.
In debates, Republican congressional candidates have become more aggressive when discussing the issue, accusing Democrats of misrepresenting their position. Republican campaigns are successfully presenting fact checks to local media that echo Democratic campaigns’ claims, and candidates are running ads directly articulating their stance on abortion.
In an unusually graphic example of this aggressiveness, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) took advantage on Monday Zoom debate format to push back his Democratic challenger John Avalon – much to the dismay of the moderators. How Avalon referred to LaLota’s stated As she spoke out against second- and third-trimester abortions, LaLota held up a printed piece of paper that read, “I oppose a national abortion ban.”
The tactic represents a departure from the last election cycle in 2022, when many Republicans — surprised by the Supreme Court’s repeal of federal abortion rights this year — mostly aimed to focus their message on other essential issues, such as the economy and immigration, rather than larger ones Concerns in surveys.
Republicans fell miniature of expectations, and the abortion issue was widely credited with breaking an expected “red wave.”
Democrats continue to push difficult for abortion access this year, with candidates in competitive seats across the country pushing back against Republicans on the issue.
But this year, Republican strategists advised candidates to articulate their positions on abortion early — and to apply those articulated positions to combat Democratic messaging.
For example, CBS News Colorado fact-checked an ad from Rep. Yadira Caraveo’s (D-Colo.) campaign that sought to link her Republican challenger Gabe Evans to conservative Republicans like Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.). ).
“He only cares about this Boebert stuff,” said a man identified as an independent voter the ad sayslike “abortion ban”.
Democrats have pointed to a questionnaire Evans filled out a form in 2022 checking a box saying he supported banning abortions unless necessary to save the mother’s life. But the CBS News Colorado political correspondent said that statement was misleading and pointed to the topics page on Evans’ website with a detailed statement on the subject of abortion in which he said: “I will not vote for a national abortion ban.”
Democrats argue that Republicans are simply hiding their past positions or records. And while a number of Republicans say they would not support a nationwide abortion ban, Democrats — citing strict state-level bans that have taken effect — are proposing legislation that would strengthen the protections in Roe v. Wade would codify.
“House Republicans are desperately trying to cover up their anti-abortion stance because they know they are on the wrong side of the issue,” Viet Shelton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “No matter how hard they try, the fact remains: They all cheered the fall of Roe and said they wanted to take away their reproductive freedom. The public will see through their deception and will reject their anti-abortion extremism on Election Day.”
Caraveo’s campaign manager, Mary Alice Blackstock, said in a statement that now that Evans is running for Congress, he is “trying to put his past aside.”
“From opposing the Colorado Reproductive Health Equity Act to celebrating the Dobbs decision, Gabe Evans is far too extreme for this district. “Voters deserve a representative who will fight to protect their rights, not strip them,” Blackstock added.
But the fact check that the Evans campaign provided to local media shows that Republicans are seeing some success in taking a more aggressive approach. Similar fact checks have emerged in other close races across the country as Republicans focused on pushing back against Democrats rather than moving on to other issues.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of House Republicans, conducted a major research project last year using focus groups and battleground surveys to understand how abortion affected campaigns.
The conclusion for candidates in competitive districts was clear: “You should be open about your position because Democrats will brand you with a false position if you don’t,” an NRCC official told The Hill.
The setback was also reflected in the fact that Republicans more aggressively articulated their positions on the debate stage in several election campaigns.
During a debate During Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (R-Arizona) campaign, Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel voted in the House Appropriations Committee for a bill that would ban mail delivery of abortion pills. Due to intraparty disputes within the Republican Party, the bill was never brought to a vote in the House of Representatives.
“Taking that away is really hurting our women in our rural areas,” Engel said, further chastising Ciscomani for serving on the board of an organization that advocates for pro-life support.
Ciscomani fought back, accusing Engel of misrepresenting his position and “completely grasping at straws.” He reiterated that he does not support a nationwide ban on abortion, supports exceptions and supports in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The crux of many Democrats’ attacks appears to be Republican members’ past support for the Life at Conception Act, which would “protect equally the right to life of every born and unborn human being.” The miniature bill was introduced over several years and was widely viewed as a messaging bill that never had a chance to become law.
The legislation says it “shall not be construed to permit the prosecution of a woman for the death of her unborn child,” but it is widely understood as a measure that would ban abortion and it does not provide for exceptions.
Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), brought up this bill in a debate between the candidates – he said there were “no exceptions” for IVF or “if a 10-year-old was raped”.
Bacon was previously a co-sponsor of the bill, but not a co-sponsor of the latest version, introduced in 2023. And in the debate he defended himself against Vargas.
“You have to read the bill. “This is not about abortion at all,” Bacon said in the debate, adding that he has expressed support for abortion exemptions elsewhere.
The bill is also a factor in a race in Iowa. The campaign of Democrat Christina Bohannan, who is challenging Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), ran an ad in which a woman claimed Meeks would “ban all abortions nationwide, no exceptions.”
One local fact check On the ad, WQUAD determined that the entire ad was false. It mentioned Miller-Meeks’ previous support for the Life at Conception Act in 2021 – which she did not support in 2023. But it also said: “Their voting record also reflects their support for exceptions for rape and incest.”
But given how previous positions have caused difficulties for Republicans, another fact check The same ad from another local outlet, KCRG, simply said that Miller-Meeks co-sponsored the “Life at Conception” bill.
In a statement to The Hill, Bohannan reiterated the claim in the ad, saying Miller-Meeks “supports a nationwide ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the woman.” Now she’s trying to rewrite history because she knows what she’s against.” -The abortion record doesn’t match that of Iowans.
Miller-Meeks himself responded via go on air with an ad She directly expressed support for exceptions for rape, incest, and maternal life, and supported access to contraceptives.
According to Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, this direct-to-camera approach is exactly what voters want to see from candidates on this issue.
Chamberlain said her organization found through focus groups after the disappointing 2022 midterm elections that voters want to hear directly from candidates about their stance on abortion.
“They want the candidates to go directly in front of the camera and talk to them,” Chamberlain said.
But both Chamberlain and the NRCC said that while they can offer advice on how to articulate their messages, it is up to the Republican candidates themselves to decide where they stand politically on abortion — and what they support.
