The Republican National Committee leader said GOP candidates will have to take the abortion issue “head on” in the next election cycle after Democrats used the issue effectively midterm.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said independents in places like Michigan and Pennsylvania haven’t moved closer to the GOP in 2022, bucking a red tide.
She blamed a lack of clarity on her part about the correct course of action following the Supreme Court’s decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state limits on abortion.
“The advice we’re going to give to our candidates is that you have to tackle this head-on,” Ms McDaniel told ‘Fox News Sunday’. “The Democrats spent $360 million on this and many of our candidates at every level refused to talk about it, thinking, ‘Oh, we can just talk about the economy and ignore this big problem. And they can’t.
Democrats were furious with the Supreme Court’s ruling last year, but were quick to use the issue against their GOP opponents. President Biden and his party fully intend to use abortion rights as a weapon against GOP candidates in 2024.
Democrats are pressuring Republican hopefuls to say whether they support a nationwide ban, a topic that divides the GOP.
A simmering court battle over access to a key abortion pill, mifepristone, is adding fuel to the fire. A Texas judge has ruled the Food and Drug Administration erred in approving the drug more than two decades ago, putting access at risk.
Pro-life Republicans say they need to go on the offensive by forcing Democrats to agree to some procedural limits.
“Which abortion is a bad idea for Democrats? Ninth month, eighth month, seventh month? They can’t even articulate an abortion that’s a bad idea,” Ms McDaniel said. “I think put them on the defensive and voice your position and that’s going to be that critical message that we need to get across before these – before 2024.”