Democrats Preemptively Hit Republicans on Abortion

As Republican candidates struggle to navigate the complicated issue, Democrats are already campaigning against them on it.

Republican candidates are split on the issue of abortion, with some embracing a 15-week limit and some not sure.

Iowa Senator Tim Scott aired a new radio ad in which he pledged to support a 15-week federal ban. Former Vice President Mike Pence has made similar statements.

But the two front-runners, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have been intentionally vague on the federal government’s role in abortion.

DeSantis signed a six-week ban in his home state of Florida, which is seen as extreme by some more moderate conservatives who worry about the issue’s impact on general elections.

Democrats Seek to Make Abortion a Key Issue

Indeed, Democrats are already basing their campaigns around the issue in swing states, some preemptively attacking Republican opponents who have not even announced yet.

In Wisconsin, for example, the state Democratic Party has put up a billboard in Milwaukee and is running digital ads across the state emphasizing the party’s support for abortion rights as an extremely unpopular near-total ban makes its way through the court system.

They have also been aggressive on social media, attacking the records of potential Republican challengers to incumbent Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin.

The Democrats’ will undoubtedly seek to replicate the tactics that yielded better-than-expected midterm results based on abortion support.

But Republicans don’t intend to take it lying down.

Wisconsin Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson said, “I think we haven’t done a very good job of explaining just how radical the Democrats’ view is.”

According to polling, the vast majority of Americans support abortion through the first trimester, or about twelve weeks. There is relatively little support for 6-week bans, heartbeat bills, or total bans even with standard exceptions.

However, support also drops off dramatically as the pregnancy matures, yet Democrats often endorse unrestricted abortion access.

National Republican leadership has tapped into those statistics.

“If Senate Democrats want to run on their record of supporting abortion without limits, a radical position that is out of step with voters across the country, that is their prerogative,” said Tate Mitchell, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.