One of the largest pro-life organizations in the country, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, is criticizing GOP candidates for being afraid to address abortion and not explicitly stating their anti-abortion stances. The organization is frustrated that so many Republicans distanced themselves from the issue because it was a major factor during the election cycle due to overturning of Roe v. Wade. SBA Pro-Life America came out with a memo saying candidates needed to focus on defining their opponents as “abortion extremists” and “contrast that with a clearly defined pro-life position centered around consensus such as pain-capable or heartbeat limits.”
Many Republicans went quiet on abortion during their campaigns even though major GOP committees also urged against this tactic. SBA Pro-Life, pointed out in their memo that “governors who signed ambitious pro-life legislation into law and never flinched politically, despite running in competitive states” all won their races. These governors included, Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL), Gov. Mike DeWine (OH), Gov. Brian Kemp (GA), and Gov. Greg Abbott (TX).
An excerpt from SBA Pro-life’s “Key takeaways” memo reads:
The key takeaway from last night is clear:
GOP pro-life candidates win in competitive races if they define their opponents as abortion
extremists who support abortion on demand with NO limits, and contrast that with a clearly
defined pro-life position centered around consensus such as pain-capable or heartbeat limits.This must be the key takeaway for the GOP as we head into the 2024 presidential cycle,
especially those eyeing a run for the White House.There are many examples of candidates in competitive races who did this effectively and either
have won or have a strong shot at winning as races are settled, such as Sen. Marco Rubio,
Senator-elect Ted Budd, Senator-elect J.D. Vance, Herschel Walker, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Gov.
Greg Abbott, Gov. Brian Kemp, Gov. Mike DeWine, and Kari Lake.
In future elections, it will be critical for Republicans to learn from the mistakes they made in 2022 because abortion is an issue that is not going away. States will be voting on abortion and clarifying their laws for years to come now that Dobbs has sent power back to the States.
