Republicans admit abortion rights are a huge challenge for them in 2024 but judging by their presidential debate Wednesday, they’re nowhere near defusing an issue that has cost them votes ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.
A day after Democrats leveraged reproductive rights to rack up big election wins in Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, Republican hopefuls attempted an impossible balancing act. They sought to satisfy anti-abortion rights base voters for whom the movement to overturn Roe was an article of faith. But they also tried to avoid alienating suburban moderates and female voters critical to deciding the destiny of the White House and Congress next year.
The five candidates on stage for NBC’s debate in Miami came up with at least five different positions about the extent to which abortion should be allowed and over whether the federal government or the states should adjudicate the issue. The mess of approaches underscored how Republicans – who for years used the stark clarity of the anti-abortion drive to galvanize their voters – now lack a single compelling position to combat political messaging from Democrats and pro-abortion rights groups.
Candidates struggle for coherence on a critical issue
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has warned long before Wednesday that the GOP is failing to communicate on abortion outside their base, said that although she is strongly against the procedure, Republicans have to recognize there is no majority in the Senate for passing a national ban. “No Republican president can ban abortions,” Haley said, repeating a consistent position perhaps designed to avoid angering women and independent voters in a broader general electorate. “As much as I am pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice,” Haley said. She called for a search for “consensus” on the issue though didn’t say how it might…
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