, a number that establishes a confrontation within the GOP between electoral realists and pro-life activists that is confounding the party’s presidential candidates.
Mifepristone, the first medication in a medical abortion, is prepared for a patient at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, on April 20, 2023.The solution? Don’t talk about it, and if pressed, stress states’ rights, then pivot to other cultural issues like parental rights, crime and wokeness, in whatever order works best.A party that ran multiple elections over multiple decades with extraordinary unanimity on abortion is now floundering to seek consensus.
Conway’s polling stunned the GOP attendees at the donor retreat, but those numbers won’t change anybody’s mind in states where Republicans have super-majorities. “They’re not responsive because they get elected in the primaries,” says Matthews, and the activists rule the primaries.
“This is an issue where Republicans can’t hide,” says Kessler. “They try to bring cultural issues to the forefront, particularly on trans people. What they’re really trying to do is distract from abortion.”A party that ran multiple elections over multiple decades with extraordinary unanimity on abortion is now floundering to seek consensus.The race to the right is not just about legalizing abortion, it’s about criminalizing abortion.