When former President Donald Trump announced in April that he believed the decision to ban abortion should be left to the states, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion group SBA Pro-Life America, said she was “deeply disappointed » by this decision.
But his disappointment did not stop his group from exerting considerable effort to help Mr. Trump win against President Biden and help Republicans retake the Senate.
SBA plans to spend at least $92 million to reach 10 million voters in eight states this cycle, Mr.me Dannenfelser. Its canvassers have already knocked on more than 1.4 million doors. They will also speak to voters by phone, text, mail and online.
In an interview, the president said she had not tried to change Mr. Trump’s mind about shifting responsibility for abortion laws to the states, even though she disagreed with him.
“I know him too well for that,” she said. No one is better placed than him to see how this project works in reality, politically, and I think that’s the only thing that will make it move. »
His group instead decided to change strategy.
Stop the Democrats from winning
Marjorie Dannenfelser pledged last year that SBA would not publicly support any candidate who refused to support a national limit of 15 weeks of pregnancy on abortion, leading the group to support fewer candidates.
SBA has not officially endorsed Mr. Trump, and has only offered support to two Senate candidates in key states, Bernie Moreno in Ohio and Tim Sheehy in Montana. (He has supported three Senate candidates in total this year, up from seven as of early June 2022.)
But SBA is working to elect Mr. Trump, as well as Republican Senate candidates, although it does not officially endorse them, from four key states: Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
The group is also campaigning for Mr. Trump in Georgia and North Carolina, where there are no Senate elections this year. According to Mr.me Dannenfelser, his canvassers knocked on more than 230,000 doors in North Carolina alone. (They also knock on doors for Moreno in Ohio and Sheehy in Montana.)
SBA decided it was more important to prevent Democrats from winning since they would restore abortion protections than to only support Republicans who approve a 15-week limit.
“We cannot tolerate their adversaries (the Democrats), declared Mme Dannenfelser. I think in the end, that’s the most important thing. »
Joe Biden and other Democrats are campaigning on the theme of abortion rights, which, according to polls, is one of the most promising issues for the president. Democrats highlighted their support for abortion rights as the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the ruling approaches Roe v. Wadedecreed on June 24.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer scheduled a vote on codifying the ruling Roe — the third vote on reproductive rights legislation in recent weeks — after the July 4 holiday, even though he knows the bill has no chance of passing.
Abortion restrictions chill voters
Women are particularly skeptical of abortion restrictions. According to a new KFF poll of women voters, only 35 percent of Arizona voters and 34 percent of Michigan voters support a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks.
Donald Trump’s position, which consists of leaving the matter to the states, only garners a little more support: 38% of voters support it in Arizona and 40% in Michigan, according to the poll.
The Democrats’ advantage in the polls on the subject has led the Republicans to resort to what Mme Dannenfelser calls it “the ostrich strategy,” that is, burying one’s head in the sand.
SBA is betting that addressing the issue head-on with voters who are open and responsive to its arguments, including those who don’t vote regularly, is a more effective strategy.
The group’s canvassers tell voters — correctly — that Mr. Biden is committed to reinstating the shutdown Roe if he is re-elected and if his party retains the Senate and takes back the House of Representatives.
Democrats “will suspend the filibuster and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, the name of which we vigorously contest,” Ms.me Dannenfelser, referring to a bill to restore abortion rights nationwide. “We will talk about that, in contrast to the pro-life candidate, and it will resonate with voters. »
Significant expenses
The $92 million SBA plans to spend this year represents a substantial investment. For comparison, three outside groups — Senate Leadership Fund, American Crossroads and One Nation — aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, together spent nearly $400 million in Senate races over the past electoral cycle.
Sen. Steve Daines, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he is grateful for SBA’s efforts.
“The group helped me a lot, in 2020, to beat Steve Bullock by 10 points in Montana,” argued Mr. Daines, referring to the popular Democratic governor who ran against him. “He was on the ground, going door to door, making sure pro-life voters were going to vote. »
But SBA’s message that Democrats will restore Roe if they take over Washington in November sounds remarkably like what Democrats are telling voters — and Democrats argue that this mobilization could end up helping them. Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the Mr. Biden’s campaign, said the team would be “happy” for SBA to get the message out.
“We are pleased to learn that the SBA Group intends to dedicate its resources to telling voters that Democrats will restore abortion rights at the federal level after their victory in November,” said Mini Timmaraju, President- executive director of Reproductive Freedom for All, an abortion rights group, in a statement sent to Washington Post. “All it does is turn more voters away from the Republican Party and build support for our movement.” »
“This investment is a major handicap for Republican Senate candidates, all of whom have gone out of their way for months to hide their support for a national abortion ban and who will now have to justify SBA support,” he said. indicated in Washington Post Sarah Guggenheimer, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, the main political action committee supporting Democratic Senate candidates.
According to Mme Dannenfelser, Democrats have a flawed view of the issue, at least as it relates to a specific subgroup of voters. SBA canvassers emphasize that Republicans believe in limits on abortion and that Democrats would remove restrictions put in place since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“This state of affairs creates a contrast which is a real gift for Republican candidates,” she concluded.
