Chris Lange, FISM News

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Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel cited the GOP’s messaging on abortion as the primary reason that the party failed to pick up support from independent voters in last year’s midterm elections during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

“The biggest takeaway we’re taking is independents did not break our way, which has to happen if we’re gonna win in 2024,” McDaniel said on “Fox News Sunday,” adding that the support of independents is what typically ushers in a “red wave.”

The Washington Post reported last week that a draft version of the months-long midterm study made no reference to former President Donald Trump, whom many Republicans said bore significant responsibility for the disappointing results. Critics said Trump-backed primary election victors who amplified the former president’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him stood no chance of defeating their Democratic opponents in the general election.

McDaniel, however, called the Post report “inaccurate.”

“The Washington Post does not have a final draft, because there is not a final draft. Many of the committees have not completed that, so that’s inaccurate reporting,” she said without elaborating on the role Trump may or may not have played in the election, the results of which stunned even Democrats who had been bracing for major losses amid inflation and soaring gas prices.

McDaniel instead cited the failure of Republican candidates to adequately articulate their positions on abortion as the reason independents flocked to the Democratic party. Republicans, she said, need to focus on better messaging that includes calling out Democrats for sanctioning the killing of unborn children.

In addition to independents, previous reports on midterm exit polling indicated that Millennial and Gen Z voters came out in droves to support Democratic candidates, citing abortion rights as their key motivating factor. While a significant portion of these younger voters are registered Democrats, more than half (52%) now identify as independent voters, according to a recent Gallup poll.

THE ABORTION SHIFT

Much to the delight of Democrats — who had been bracing for near-certain annihilation in the midterms under GOP attacks on soaring crime, inflation, and illegal immigration — abortion suddenly moved to the forefront of voters’ minds just weeks ahead of the election when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights. The development dramatically shifted the party’s focus away from simply trying to fly under the radar and hope for the best to an aggressive campaign emphasizing so-called “reproductive rights” and casting Republicans in the role of malevolent oppressors of feminine freedoms.

Many GOP lawmakers were reportedly furious with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham for proposing a polarizing nationwide abortion ban less than two months ahead of the midterms.

Now, as the 2024 election draws closer, more and more Republicans appear to be shying away again from the hot-button issue, which McDaniel said is a mistake.

The RNC chairwoman told Washington Watch last week that if the Republican party continues efforts to avoid addressing abortion head-on, its members should prepare for equally disappointing results in 2024.

McDaniel explained that “if there’s a vacuum in messaging” on abortion, “the Democrats will fill it.” She pointed out that Democrats spent $360 million in ads on the abortion issue in 2022 alone.

“And many consultants said, ‘Don’t talk about it. Voters only care about the economy.’ That’s not true,” McDaniel argued. “Because when $360 million is spent against you, you need to respond. And we’re right on this issue. So let’s respond and be positive. … And let’s not let the media or other Republicans say we lost because of abortion. No, we lost from our inability to defend life,” she said.

PRO-FAMILY MESSAGING

Pro-mother and pro-family legislation is one strategy that could help Republicans counter the Democrats’ narrative that the GOP wants to force women to deal with unplanned pregnancies without offering any means of support.

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves recently passed several new laws designed to make it easier for women to choose life. Among them are measures to streamline adoptions, increase the age of infants whose mothers elect to anonymously surrender at designated safe haven “baby boxes,” and protect pro-life clinics increasingly under attack by leftist legislators and activists.   

Reeves stated at the time that the new laws are “further proof that when it comes to protecting life, Mississippi isn’t just talking the talk — we’re walking the walk.” Other Republicans may be wise to take note.

Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins noted separately to Washington Watch that 11 Republican governors in battleground states “signed meaningful pro-life legislation” and still “won reelection by significant margins” in 2022. 

“These were not deep-red, Republican states — they were battleground states like Georgia, Florida, Iowa, and Ohio,” Perkins said.

Pro-life advocate Kristan Hawkins, who spearheaded the 2006 launch of Students for Life of America, said Republicans should capitalize on their pro-life message instead of hiding from it. She argued, “Not only has the pro-life position historically provided more voter enthusiasm,” but “it remains a core distinction between the two parties, for those with the skill and fearlessness to make the case.”

This article was partially informed by The Hill and The Washington Stand reports.