As a new election season begins, the Republican Party is struggling to navigate the politics of abortion.
Allies for leading presidential candidates concede that their hardline anti-abortion policies may be popular with the conservatives who decide primary elections, but they could ultimately alienate the broader set of voters they need to win the presidency.
The conflict is unfolding across the United States this week, but nowhere more than in Florida, where Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law one of the nation's toughest abortion bans on Thursday. If the courts ultimately allow the new measure to take effect, it will soon be illegal for Florida women to obtain an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most realize they're pregnant.
Even before he signed the law, DeSantis' team was eager to highlight his willingness to fight for, and enact, aggressive abortion restrictions. The Florida governor's position stands in sharp contrast, they say, with some Republican White House hopefuls — most notably former President Donald Trump — who are downplaying their support for anti-abortion policies for fear they may ultimately alienate women or other swing voters in the 2024 general election.
"Unlike Trump, Governor DeSantis doesn't back down from defending the lives of innocent unborn babies," said Erin Perrine, a spokesperson for DeSantis' super political action committee, when asked about Florida's six-week ban.
'An electoral disaster'
DeSantis' latest policy victory in the nation's third-most populous state offers a new window into the Republican Party's sustained political challenges on the explosive social issue. In recent days alone, Republican leaders across Iowa, New Hampshire and Washington have struggled to answer nagging questions about their opposition to the controversial medical procedure as Republican-controlled state legislatures rush to enact a wave of new abortion restrictions.
Republicans have suffered painful losses in recent weeks and months across Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada and even deep-red Kansas in elections that focused, at least in part, on abortion. Last week in Wisconsin, an anti-abortion candidate for the state Supreme Court was trounced by 11 points in a state President Joe Biden carried by less than 1 point.
"Any conversation about banning abortion or limiting it nationwide is an electoral disaster for the Republicans," said New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican who describes himself as "pro-choice" but also signed a law banning abortions in the state after 24 weeks.
Privately, at least, strategists involved with Republican presidential campaigns concede that the Republican Party is on the wrong side of the debate as it currently stands. While popular with Republican primary voters, public polling consistently shows that the broader collection of voters who decide general elections believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Anti-abortion activists have been particularly vocal in warning Republican presidential candidates that the party's base will not tolerate any weakness on abortion given that Republican leaders have been vowing for decades to ban abortion rights if given the chance.
Praise for DeSantis
Before this week, Kristan Hawkins, the president of the anti-abortion group, Students for Life of America, was unwilling to describe DeSantis as a leader in the abortion fight.
"This is his opportunity to show himself as a leader on this issue. That's what's exciting about this moment," Hawkins said of DeSantis' six-week ban. "He has done a lot, but we really needed to see action at the legislative level. I think this 'heartbeat law' fully cements his pro-life street cred."
Such pressure ensures that the issue will remain central to the 2024 campaign as Republican presidential prospects begin to fan out across America to court primary voters. At the very same time, an escalating court battle over access to an FDA-approved abortion pill is forcing Republican leaders to answer more questions.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, long a vocal abortion opponent, condemned the abortion pill during an interview this week with Newsmax while vowing to "champion the right to life."
"We're going to continue to champion the interests of women born and unborn and pushing back against the abortion pill," Pence declared.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley told Iowa voters this week that abortion is "a personal issue" that should be left to the states, although she left open the possibility of a federal ban without getting into specifics.
And in New Hampshire, just a day after launching a presidential exploratory committee, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott outlined his support for a federal law that would ban abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
He tried repeatedly to refocus the conversation on Democrats' "radical position" on the issue because they generally oppose any abortion restrictions whatsoever.
Sununu, the New Hampshire governor, said he counts Scott as a friend, but was surprised that he would openly discuss his support for a federal abortion ban in New Hampshire, a state long known for supporting abortion rights.
"Of all places to talk about a federal ban of abortion, New Hampshire ain't it," Sununu said. "He's a good candidate and does a great job in the Senate. But know your audience here, man."
Republican officials in Washington are still looking for answers as well.
Republican strategist Alice Stewart said Republicans must find a way to keep the focus on the failings of the Biden administration, the economy, crime and education in the 2024 campaign.
"Abortion poses a challenge for Republicans. There's no denying it," said Stewart, who initially cheered the Supreme Court's Roe reversal. "Politically, it has become problematic."
