GOP Strategists Shifting Course on Abortion

It's been a significant week for the politics of abortion, with Democrats scoring wins on the issue in Tuesday's election, and GOP candidates laying out a range of differing positions in their Wednesday debate. Where do things go from here? A look at coverage:

• Strategy shift: NBC News reports that top GOP strategists will begin advising candidates to make clear they don't back a federal ban on all abortions. Specifically, the National Republican Senatorial Committee—the party's campaign arm in the Senate—"is encouraging Republicans to clearly state their opposition to a national abortion ban and their support for reasonable limits on late-term abortions when babies can feel pain, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother," one insider tells the outlet. "They are encouraging candidates to contrast that position with Democrats' support for taxpayer-funded abortion without limits."

• Candidates: In a Wall Street Journal analysis, Molly Ball writes that the debate showed the GOP is all over the map on how to discuss the issue. "Taken together, their responses on the issue were a revealing glimpse into the dilemma vexing the GOP after a series of bruising election losses," writes Ball. Tim Scott, for example, called for a national ban at 15 weeks; Ron DeSantis (who signed a six-week ban in Florida) agrees; Chris Christie said it's an issue for states; Vivek Ramaswamy appears to think the issue can be resolved by emphasizing sexual responsibility for men; and Nikki Haley, the lone woman in the field, expressed empathy for the pro-choice side while declaring herself to be proudly pro-life.
• Takeaways: "Where the party will land is anybody's guess," writes Ball, who finds that Donald Trump has been similarly inconsistent in his public comments, sometimes boasting of his Supreme Court appointments and other times calling GOP measures too extreme. "It appears likely that different wings of the party will continue to quarrel over the issue—while Democrats sit back and relish the fight," writes Ball. Still, conservative pollster Frank Luntz wrote on X that the party "would be stronger" if it adopted Haley's language, per the Hill. Among other things, Haley pointed out that political reality makes the idea of a federal ban all but impossible, and she encouraged both sides to find consensus in a debate with civility.
• Not so fast: Democrats who see all of the above as evidence that abortion is the answer to all their political struggles are being too optimistic, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times. Yes, most Americans favor abortion access and will support ballot initiatives to protect it, as happened in Ohio on Tuesday. "Yet in an election between two candidates, only a tiny slice of people is likely to vote differently because of any one issue, including abortion." (He ticks off examples to prove his point in several states.) While abortion has the potential to decide some races, Leonhardt makes the case that Democrats who think they've found a political panacea are in for disappointment.

(More abortion rights stories.)