NHampshire’s new governor, Chris Sununu, acknowledged his pro-choice stance over the weekend as he reiterated his concern that the “hardline” positions of his fellow Republicans will hurt the party’s ability to reach new voters
Sununu, a Republican, made the comments Saturday while addressing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, in the face of protests as he visited New Hampshire Friday night after signing a six-week abortion ban. The New Hampshire governor said he believed some of his GOP colleagues taking extreme positions, and sometimes implementing them, was hurting the party.
REPUBLICANS STUMBLING ON DICEY ABORTION WEEK POLICY
“My issue is I think it’s a terrible message for the Republican primary, I really do, I think it hurts us in the general election,” Sununu said. “I think there are much more pressing issues, if you will, that Americans are facing, like inflation, fiscal responsibility, border security. Those are all really issues that need to be addressed, in which solutions must be given.”
The governor said the electorate was on his side on this issue. He argued that Republicans pushing federal abortion bans ahead of the 2022 midterm elections alienated disgruntled Democrats and independents who might otherwise have considered voting for GOP candidates.
@GovChrisSununu (R-NH) to Neil on protesters running on stage at Gov. Desantis speech in New Hampshire: “There are always potential threats… But at the same time, you have to come to New Hampshire. You have of stepping on it. that stage.” pic.twitter.com/Hmd2FVZanb
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) April 15, 2023
The governor was referring to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who proposed a national ban on abortion past 15 weeks just before last November. He called proposing such restrictions before an election “the stupidest thing you can do.”
Many political observers and pollsters have argued that overturning Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last year was one of the two main causes of the Republican’s lack of excitement in the midterms. Former President Donald Trump’s often-controversial primaries that failed to gain traction in the general election were also blamed for the party’s long-awaited red tide turning out to be a fluke.
Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race earlier this month, where the winning liberal candidate focused her bid on abortion access, fueled those concerns.
A U.S. District Court judge in Texas ruled last week that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen to induce an abortion, should be suspended. The ruling was at odds with a similar one out of Washington state. On Friday, the Supreme Court intervened with a stay on the order, setting the stage for a high court decision on the matter.
Asked if he thought a Supreme Court decision to uphold the mifepristone ban would further hurt the GOP with independent voters, Sununu said yes.
“Yes, yes, absolutely. Look, [mifepristone has] it’s been there for 20 years. The question is not so much whether it is banned or not. I mean, I’m pro-choice, I think it should be legal, that’s fine. But it’s about these massive changes in precedent, right?” he said. “Roe v. Wade, whether you agree or not, there was 50 years of precedent. There is a 20-year precedent [mifepristone]. So now to the American public it looks like the Republicans are coming in and trying to massively change and blow up the system.”
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Sununu said that while abortion was “not an issue,” he believed that some Republicans who take hard-line positions on the issue were rejecting independents and “the younger generation of Republicans,” who he said the party needs to “stop being so unauthorized”. “they return to the team.”
“I think the message as a whole is not where it needs to be,” he continued, noting that “it will be interesting to see” how the 2024 Republican presidential candidates navigate the issue. “Anyway, I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to help us long term. I just want to win on the 24th.”
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