Republicans have so far struggled to present a unified and effective response to Democrats’ criticism of their record on women’s issues. The rise of Vice President Kamala Harris as the likely Democratic nominee and widespread backlash against J.D. Vance’s comments about women and families have left the GOP off balance, according to a report by NOTUS.
“What my side of the aisle needs to do is encourage the media to ask Democrats: ‘So what’s your limit on abortion? Is it birth? Is it two weeks before birth? Do you have no limits on abortion?'” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) on the website.
Democrats have characterized Donald Trump’s running mate and other conservatives as “weird,” arguing their views are extreme and out of touch. Even Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who placed a months-long hold on hundreds of military promotions to protest paid leave and reimbursements for service members traveling for abortions, distanced himself from Vance’s remarks about “childless cat ladies.”
“The message to women is: We’re all for the nuclear family, but we’re also, if you don’t want to have kids, fine, I mean, it’s up to you,” Tuberville said. “As a human being, everybody gets to make their own decisions in this country.”
Despite broad public support for abortion rights two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans have faced a series of defeats related to the issue. Trump frequently boasts about nominating the justices who overturned Roe, and Vance supports a national abortion ban.
“Republicans muddled the message, and it’s going to be hard for them,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). “And if you don’t think the Democrats see that and have seized on it, you’re not looking at what they’re all running on, everyone from Harris on down the ticket.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a staunch anti-abortion advocate, has criticized Vance’s remarks about childless women and attempted to soften the GOP vice presidential nominee’s proposal to tax non-parents more heavily.
“I think our message ought to be, ‘We want to help you start a family, we want to give you control over raising your own family,’” Hawley said, but he acknowledged uncertainty about whether the GOP has successfully communicated that message. “We’ll see.” As the political landscape continues to evolve, the GOP must refine its messaging on women’s issues to resonate with voters and counter the Democrats’ attacks effectively.