Democrats fault anti-abortion records of GOP incumbents in fight to retake Congress
Source: CBS News
September 25, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT
In a campaign ad this month, Derek Tran, a Democrat from Orange County, California, blasted his opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel, for supporting a national abortion ban and voting to limit access to birth control. Democratic challenger Will Rollins also called out his rival, Rep. Ken Calvert, and "MAGA extremists" in an ad last week for their backing of a bill that could criminalize medical practitioners who provide abortions.
A few blocks from state Route 14 in Lancaster, about 70 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, Rep. Mike Garcia's Democratic opponent, George Whitesides, planted two billboards promising to protect reproductive health care, a jab at the Republican congressman, who has voted to cut taxpayer funding of abortions for service members and other Americans. As Election Day approaches, Democratic hopefuls are doing all they can to tie Republican opponents in contested congressional districts to their anti-abortion records.
Aggressive ads are going up in California, Arizona, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Oregon, as Democrats see an opportunity to take control of the House by engaging voters who might not vote straight-ticket — or at all. Republicans currently control the House by a slim margin. "What we all need to do is to make sure we look at her record, and that record is contrary to what she's putting out there in her ads," Tran said in an interview about Steel. "We're making sure that we educate and remind the voters of who she really is."
Democrats are also linking Republican incumbents to former President Donald Trump, who has taken credit for the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats are warning voters that more restrictions could come. During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, Trump dodged a question about whether he would veto a national abortion ban if elected. A majority of voters support restoring a federal right to abortion, according to a recent KFF poll.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-republicans-congress-antiabortion-records-california/