Democratic TV ads have been hammering Colin Schmitt for weeks by painting him as the antagonist about abortion rights.
The New York Republican congressional candidate then made the decision to run his own abortion advertisement, reversing the narrative Democrats had used to paint Republicans as being too radical on the subject in a number of close contests. He charges Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan in a new 30-second ad with supporting “late-term abortion up to the time of birth” and enabling “non-doctors” to conduct them.
Schmitt’s choice to use valuable TV time to address the topic exemplifies how Democrats have pushed the GOP into a defensive crouch on the abortion issue. It also demonstrates how GOP campaigns across the nation are struggling with the same issue: how to respond, if at all, to the Democratic attack on abortion policy, given that every minute they spend talking about abortion rights is time they could be using to talk about inflation and other economic problems.
A New York state lawmaker named Schmitt said in an interview that “we want to talk about the issues that are touching all the families in the district,” listing crime, immigration, and the economy. Schmitt claimed that Ryan and his allies diverted the discourse from those subjects, so he decided to speak out.
Schmitt continued, “We’re going to emphasise my opponent’s radical opinions on abortion if he wants to continue talking about them.
According to data from AdImpact, a media monitoring company, Democratic candidates and their connected organisations have invested over $25 million in television abortion advertisements so far. It’s the subject that they advertise on the most. The advertisements portray Republican candidates as radicals who would jail doctors and make rape victims carry their pregnancies to term.
Nearly all Republicans have been the subject of the attacks, which have used carefully chosen words to attack everyone from those who support abortion during the first trimester to those who oppose all legal abortion.
Republicans have mostly disregarded the negative campaigning in the last weeks of the midterm elections and have instead focused on the economy. Only a small number of people, including Schmitt, have responded in a TV ad by defining their views and portraying Democrats as being opposed to the opinion of the majority of the voters.
Both options come with hazards. Republicans can concentrate on other issues they want to be prominent in the election by ignoring the blows, but doing so gives Democrats a freer hand to make assertions. Responding concedes to a larger narrative that Democrats have established.
The Republican opposing Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes stated, “I have been constant in my support of a woman’s right to choose.” Republican George Logan is a former state senator from Connecticut. Campaign ads for the House Democrats caution that Logan would support “radical Republicans” who want to outlaw abortion and imprison doctors. Despite not directly mentioning abortion, Logan’s response noted that he was not your usual Republican.
I’ll just be in the advertisement for about 30 seconds, right? I’m not just here to play defence; I’m also on offensive,” Logan remarked. “For me, it’s more significant to discuss, for instance, how I want to lower the price of goods and services. I wish to secure our neighbourhood.
Instead, Republicans have largely focused their ads on the economy, crime, and immigration. Voters in 68 of the 69 districts polled by the House GOP campaign arm in August and September indicated the economy and inflation together were more significant to them than abortion rights. Inflation was the main concern for independents for 25% of them, while abortion was the top concern for another 12%.
According to those familiar with their strategy, national Republican strategists have counselled candidates to resist the temptation to emphasise their position on abortion when it isn’t the most crucial issue in these contests.
One Republican operative working with competitive House candidates predicted that “in a lot of these districts, you’re just going to see Republicans let it go.” “Saying five distinct ways that Pelosi and Biden are wrecking the economy is a significantly more powerful advertisement for us,”
The operator responded, “I’ll take that if they want to own the third-most crucial problem and we want to own the first.”
Ryan unexpectedly rose to prominence as the Democratic Party’s unofficial abortion rights spokesperson after winning a crucial special election in August. He and his friends ran advertisements cautioning the public that his then opponent, Republican Marc Molinaro, would not defend abortion rights.
Despite having stated that he would oppose a nationwide ban on abortion, Molinaro did not launch any television advertisements in response to the attack. After a close loss, he will face a different Democrat this autumn in a race for a full term in Congress. This is due to redistricting.
Prior to Schmitt’s advertisement last week, Ryan stated in an interview, “What we were able to successfully accomplish was chose the ground on which we battled, which was reproductive freedom.” “Once it was obvious, we started battling on that terrain. The Republican Party of today just cannot prevail on that ground. They are not at all unified.
Schmitt, who calls himself “pro-life” but claims to approach the subject “from a sympathetic, common sense approach,” will now be Ryan’s opponent.
Schmitt would “side with” fanatics who seek to ban abortion, Democrats have claimed in advertisements. Schmitt noted that New York state law allows for exceptions, but he would not say exactly whether he would support a national ban on abortion or if he would support rape and incest exclusions. He asserted that he did not anticipate that a vote on an abortion ban would be held on the House floor.
Schmitt claimed to have observed Molinaro’s failure to reply to the abortion advertisements. But he made the decision to go a different route.
We have our own approach and strategy here, he continued. And there is no crossover between the plans of that race and ours.
Few Republicans have succumbed to the same need to reply.
According to AdImpact, only a handful GOP House candidates have mentioned abortion in advertisements. Alek Skarlatos, a Republican from Oregon, briefly mentioned defending women’s healthcare. Zach Nunn, a state senator running against Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne in a district located in Des Moines, Iowa, may be the only other significant example.
When asked if he thought all abortions should be prohibited at a GOP primary discussion, Nunn raised his hand and was captured on camera by Axne and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Nunn adopted Schmitt’s line and accused Axne of supporting “abortion up until the moment of birth” and accusing her of voting against “providing life-saving medical care for a baby who survives an abortion” in a late-September advertisement. Nunn went direct-to-camera, calling himself “pro-life” but stating that he had “voted for exceptions for the health of the mother” and “to expand access to contraceptives.”
Are they crazy?
In an interview, Axne discussed Nunn’s advertisement. She added, “That’s called murder.” “That’s the most insane thing you’ll ever hear. And who actually says things like that? ”
But she added that Democrats will not stop attempting to draw attention to Nunn’s views on abortion.
Axne stated, “Here’s my philosophy: You know you’re tanking in your position when you’re attempting to justify your stance.” “Good luck then,”
Democrats have used the phrase “no exception” in dozens of TV commercials. The advertisements showed rape victims, worried OB-GYNs, and women who needed abortions being turned away from doctors’ offices or threatened with arrest.
Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.), as well as Republican challengers to Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) and Jen Kiggans, who is running against Rep. Elaine Luria, are among the well-known targets of Democrats’ abortion campaign (D-Va.).