House Republicans attempt to avoid 2022 letdown with new tactic on abortion: ‘We’re both pro-choice’

Republicans in the nation’s toughest House districts are making a major pivot on abortion with a surprising result — they’re starting to sound like Democrats.

Republicans in the nation’s toughest House districts are making a major pivot on abortion with a surprising result — they’re starting to sound like Democrats. GOP candidates in suburbs of places like Tucson, Des Moines and Syracuse are going public with vows never to criminalize abortion or support a national ban. Some are going further: Rep. John Duarte of California’s Central Valley, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in northern New Jersey and GOP candidate Matt Gunderson in the San Diego area have all described themselves as “pro choice” — with the latter even speaking directly to camera in his first TV ad and borrowing Bill Clinton’s phrase calling for the procedure to be “safe, legal and rare.” In this fall’s toss-up battle for the House, swing-seat Republicans are carefully rebranding themselves on abortion after largely failing to respond to relentless Democratic attacks that cost the GOP big last cycle. And they’re attempting to neutralize the Democrats’ most potent attack — all in an effort to turn voters’ attention to the US-Mexico border and other galvanizing issues. “Since we’re both pro-choice, then we have an opportunity to take that conversation, set it aside and have a real serious conversation about solving the border, about inflation, the economy, jobs, crime, education,” Gunderson said in an interview, referring to his opponent, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin. It may be easier said than done. Even as swing-seat Republicans attempt to paint a more nuanced view of the GOP’s stance on abortion, the national party has often muddled that message. In recent days, former first lady Melania Trump disclosed she supports the right to an abortion “free from any intervention” — while Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, took the staunchly conservative position of vowing to defund Planned Parenthood.