Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Thursday that she’s glad the party’s major candidates battled each other over abortion during Wednesday’s first primary debate.
“I’m very happy to see them talk about abortion,” McDaniel told Fox News. “If our candidate can’t rebut the answer and give an answer, we won’t win. They’re going to do it again in 2024. And I think they’re all doing a really good job of that.”
McDaniel pointed out that Democrats successfully weaponized the abortion issue during the 2022 midterm elections after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The debate revealed fault lines among the candidates on the issue, particularly on the question of a nationwide abortion ban.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson have called for such restrictions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, winning support from the prominent Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization.
Ronna McDaniel forced the candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual nominee despite doubts from the candidates.AP
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has called for consensus on abortion, warning that Republicans will not be able to push a federal ban through the Senate given the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.
“To be honest with you, Nikki — you’re my friend, but consensus is the antithesis of leadership,” Pence said. “It is not only a state issue. This is a moral issue.”
“When you talk about a federal ban, be honest with the American people,” Haley responded, referring to the filibuster. “Don’t make women feel like they have to decide this issue.”
Republicans clashed in the first debate of 2024 Wednesday over a range of issues, including abortion.REUTERS
McDaniel argued that back-and-forth is healthy for the party and emphasized points of agreement among the candidates.
“I think they all have a consensus that as a country, we should all say when a baby feels sick at 15 weeks, we should all agree that this is a bridge too far and we shouldn’t have an abortion,” he said.
“And then they call out the extremism of the Democrats, who support late-term abortions and sex-selected abortions.”
Ronna McDaniel has previously asserted that abortion will be a difficult issue for Republicans to navigate in the 2024 election.AP
In recent months, Republicans have suffered several ballot box losses due to abortion.
Earlier this month, Ohio voters rejected a measure to raise the threshold needed to amend the state constitution. In doing so, they removed a potential obstacle for abortion rights activists pushing for a referendum later this year to foster abortion rights in the Buckeye State.
Last year, Kansas voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have paved the way for the state legislature to overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision protecting the procedures in the Kansas Bill of Rights.
Many Republican activists firmly oppose abortion, but general election voters want it legal, leaving the party in a Catch-22 situation. AFP via Getty Images
A spate of opinion polls further shows that the public opposes heavy restrictions on abortion.
About 53% of voters oppose a federal law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released earlier this month.
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