On the Campaign Trail, Democrats Call Out Opponents on Abortion

As Nov. 5 approaches and the struggle for control of the U.S. House reaches a fever pitch, Democrats are doing everything they can to tie their Republican opponents to their antiabortion voting records. Some Republican candidates, meanwhile, seem to be softening their positions. And political analysts say it’s part of a larger trend playing out nationwide, up and down the ballot.

“The politics of abortion and reproductive health can get voters to participate at higher rates,” said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University. “Republicans have to moderate their stance if they’re going to be in the battle.”

After all, polls show most voters support restoring abortion rights overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court. Aggressive ads are going up in competitive districts where Democrats see an opportunity to take control of the House by engaging voters who might not vote straight-ticket — or at all.

In New York, Democrat Josh Riley blasted Republican incumbent Marcus J. Molinaro in a 30-second ad for voting against abortion rights 13 times. Next door in New Jersey, Democratic hopeful Sue Altman called out Republican opponent Tom Kean Jr. for a “secret antiabortion agenda.” And in California, Democrat Will Rollins denounced Republican rival “Ken Calvert and MAGA extremists” for backing a national abortion ban.

Meanwhile, in March, shortly after her primary, Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) removed her support for a blanket abortion ban — the Life at Conception Act — saying it could create confusion because the bill could threaten in vitro fertilization. Following news reports about her reversal, the Orange County-area Republican released an ad in which she shared that she had used IVF and reiterated her support for the procedure.

On the campaign trail, Steel has said she supports exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest, and in which the mother’s health or life is at risk, a departure from bills she previously supported.

“What we all need to do is to make sure we look at her record, and that record is contrary to what she’s putting out there in her ads,” Steel’s Democratic challenger, Derek Tran, told me.

The Steel and Calvert campaigns told KFF Health News that their candidates oppose a national abortion ban. Calvert, who last backed a 20-week abortion ban in 2017, issued a statement saying the issue is best left to states.

Tim Rosales, a political strategist who has represented Republican candidates, said incumbents shouldn’t get heat for changing their minds over time.

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reported in March that Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) had deleted antiabortion endorsements from his website. Arizona Republican incumbent Rep. David Schweikert said he opposed a state abortion ban, even though he had co-sponsored a national ban six times.

And vice-presidential candidate JD Vance removed his antiabortion stance from his website the month former president Donald Trump selected him as his running mate.

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