Pro-life groups are urging Republican candidates to go on the offensive on abortion as the midterm elections approach, Politico reported.
The groups see an opportunity to gain a political upper hand with abortion by exposing Democrats' positions as too extreme for most Americans.
Democrats and progressive have focused on abortion to win voters after the Supreme Court's decision this year to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Pro-life advocates contend that while most voters might not support banning abortion at conception, they oppose it being available at any point during pregnancy.
The groups want GOP candidates to highlight policies that help new parents, including paid parental leave and lactation rooms, Politico reported.
"Any candidate is making a mistake thinking that they can hide from these issues. Crime is an issue whether you want to talk about it or not. Abortion is an issue whether you want to talk about it or not," Kristi Hamrick, spokesperson for Students for Life, told Politico. "It's politically naive to think, especially in a post-Dobbs environment, that you're going to ignore the issue of abortion."
Some pro-life supporters sense the timing could be right to raise the issue among voters.
New York Times/Siena College poll results Monday showed that independent women favored the Republican party by 18 points. The figure represents a marked increase in support from September polling.
Strategists for both major parties say that the economy and inflation likely contributed to those survey results. Still, some Republicans see a possible window in which they can advance a pro-life message.
"We're not saying don't talk about gas prices and the economy. Those are salient issues voters care deeply about," Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told Politico.
"But pro-life Republicans must account for their policy positions on abortion. With pro-abortion Democrats holding rallies specifically to talk about abortion, pro-life Republicans have an opportunity to present a strong contrast to that."
U.S. Senate candidates in Arizona (Blake Masters), North Carolina (Ted Budd) and Ohio (J.D. Vance), during recent debates, slammed Democrat opponents for being too extreme on abortion.
"Just last year, Arizona passed a law that limits abortions after 15 weeks. I support that law. That's where Arizonans find a reasonable place to draw the line. I support limits at the federal level, too," Masters said. "I believe in limits. Mark Kelly believes in no limits at all."
Kelly responded by saying Masters' assertion was "nonsense" and "absolutely not true," adding that he supports "the restrictions and the protections that were allowed under Roe v. Wade."
Other Republicans say their party's candidates should stick to issues on which polls show them with a clear advantage.
"You want to be talking about the issues that energize your voters and swing voters, and right now that's crime, the economy, and the border. You want to make that the debate," former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis said, Politico reported.
"If you're debating abortion at this point, you're losing."
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