GOP candidates backtrack on abortion despite past pro-life support

But as a recent report observed, Tiffany is one of several GOP gubernatorial candidates who has changed his tune. Asked recently in an interview about his co-sponsorship of a six-week abortion ban in Congress, Tiffany backtracked:

So I voted on that bill a decade ago, and I just really thought that we hit a middle ground. What I heard from my constituents at the time is they’re like, ‘we want to compromise.’ And ‘we want you to hit the middle ground here.’ And so we voted on that five-month bill. I voted for it. It was signed into law. It’s the law now in Wisconsin. And I will uphold that law as it’s written.

In fact, he sponsored a six-week ban only three years ago.

On June 24, 2022, Stacy Garrity celebrated the overturn of Roe, writing on Facebook: “Today is a great day for all who prize life and the integrity of our Constitution. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the rights of the unborn will be protected and the sanctity of life restored.” Now, running for governor in Pennsylvania, she says that her campaign would “respect” the state’s law permitting abortion up until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

As Kansas Senate President in 2023, Ty Masterton stated, “Abortion extremists such as Planned Parenthood who push the lie that ending a child’s life in the womb is ‘health care’ are not in line with most Kansans. As long as I am Senate President, we will continue to pursue protections for children in the womb through common sense policies supported by the vast majority of Kansans.” As gubernatorial candidate, he has refused to say whether he would back a state referendum to remove Kansas’s constitutional amendment protecting abortion.

While abortion is not a key motivating issue for the majority of voters — as the Democrats discovered in 2024 after running a presidential campaign with abortion as a central plank — it is a key issue for liberal voters. The Democrats need to get out the vote, and abortion activists have been pouring millions of dollars into key races across the country ahead of the midterm elections. According to some political strategists, GOP candidate backtracking may be an attempt to deny Dems debates on abortion that motivate their supporters. As Yahoo News reported:

Planned Parenthood’s super PAC, called Planned Parenthood Votes, has focused its resources in states such as Michigan, where the Republican candidate, U.S. Rep. John James, has said that abortion is “decided.” Four years ago, James said he opposed abortion in all cases, and he has compared the practice to genocide. His campaign did not reply to a request for comment.

James’ running mate, Jay DeBoyer, recently suggested leveraging a state constitutional convention to enact a 12-week abortion ban in Michigan, according to recordings of the remarks reported by The Detroit News and Michigan Advance. DeBoyer has since said publicly that abortion is a “settled” issue in Michigan, where voters in 2022 amended the state constitution to protect abortion before fetal viability.

It is important to note that GOP candidates did not lose the debate on abortion — they are deciding it is not worth having. Abortion activists and their allies in the press have been hammering a single, incredibly effective narrative since Roe fell: If babies in the womb are protected, women will die. It is a provable lie, but a very persuasive one. GOP candidates should look instead to Florida, where GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis successfully passed a six-week abortion ban and defended it in a referendum in a majority pro-abortion state while up against an abortion activist war chest of $100 million.

The pro-life position can be successfully defended publicly — but leaders must have the will to do so. We are finding out which politicians meant what they said, and which ones were merely following the herd.