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Posted: 2024-10-22T10:00:38Z | Updated: 2024-10-22T10:00:38Z

Republicans running for Senate ducked and dodged when pressed about abortion access in debates across the country this month, continuing to struggle with a key electoral liability that threatens to deny their party both control of Congress and the White House in November.

The calculated effort to soften the GOPs image on the hot-button issue began soon after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, a historic decision that fueled a backlash against the party at the ballot box, costing Republicans critical seats in the 2022 midterm elections.

Since then, many Republicans have misrepresented or outright lied to voters about their record, evading questions about extreme abortion bans currently on the books in states across the country.

Last week, for example, conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in a debate with his Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred, repeatedly avoided giving a direct answer to questions about his position on exceptions to abortion bans for cases of rape and incest.

Why do you keep asking me that? Cruz asked the moderator at one point after he failed to answer the question, before quickly pivoting to his support for states setting their own laws.

Nearly 20 states have severe or near-total abortion bans in place, some without exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, leading to devastating consequences for many women, including in Texas . Women have been denied care and left to bleed out in hospital parking lots or were forced to travel out of state for care.

Advocating for states to make their own decisions on abortion, as the Supreme Court held, necessarily means embracing the idea that some states might adopt abortion restrictions without exceptions.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has repeatedly boasted about his role in reversing federal abortion protections, has also struggled with questions about extreme state abortion bans. After initially criticizing his home state of Floridas six-week abortion ban last month, he announced that he would vote against a ballot measure seeking to repeal it.

The people are deciding, and in many ways, its a beautiful thing to watch, Trump said during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity last month.

In Nevada, a majority pro-choice state where abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown similarly glided over his past support for abortion restrictions without exceptions for rape or incest during a debate with Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen over the weekend. Brown, a businessman and U.S. Army veteran, said he now supports those exceptions, pledging not to back a national abortion ban that Democrats fear is coming in the future.

I would not support a national abortion ban, Brown said. I would not appreciate when people lead with deception on this issue.

Rosen, meanwhile, warned that Brown and other Republicans are hiding their positions on the issue to get elected in November.

He has a decade-long record saying hes against any exceptions on abortion even in case[s] of rape or incest, the senator said of her opponent during the debate over the weekend. If you dont believe me, Ive got some ocean-front property on Las Vegas Boulevard to sell you.

In Pennsylvania, another critical battleground state, Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick borrowed language Democrats typically use when talking about womens reproductive rights namely, keeping unelected officials out of the equation during his debate with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) last week.

Courts shouldnt decide, judges shouldnt decide, people should decide, McCormick said of abortion limits. He added: And theres very different views across states. So I believe its a states rights issue.

In 2022, however, McCormick touted his staunch commitment to opposing abortion before the Supreme Courts ruling repealing Roe v. Wade. Asked at a GOP primary debate that year if he would support exceptions, he said he believed in them in very rare instances when a womans life was at risk.

But its not just newcomers seeking political office who are now presenting themselves to voters as moderates on abortion. Mike Rogers, a former Michigan congressman of 14 years who is now running for Senate, for example, tried to distance himself from his lengthy record of voting for abortion restrictions during his debate with Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic nominee in the race.