In August 2012, during a previous campaign for Senate, Hovde told the Wisconsin State Journal that he was “totally opposed to abortion”, a position he also expressed in a radio interview . Hovde also said that year that he considered himself “pro-life” and that Roe v. Wade should be reversed.
Hovde’s change comes during an election cycle in which many Republicans are grappling with the issue of abortion and some have moderated their positions. Protecting access to reproductive care was a winning issue for Democrats in elections held following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and Democrats up and down the ballot box have weighed in on this issue during this election year.
Moreover, since the Court’s decision, all measures passed by states aimed at preserving or expanding access to abortion have been successful, while jurisdictions that have sought to restrict access to abortion abortion have failed – even in conservative-leaning states.
The reversal of Roe deer had an immediate impact on Wisconsin. After this ruling, the state halted all abortion procedures because the federal action allowed an 1849 state law to go into effect that state conservatives interpreted as calling for the ban abortions. The state, however, allowed abortion services to resume in December 2023 after a judge ruled that the law allows medication abortions.
In a statement released Friday, Jackie Rosa, a spokeswoman for Baldwin’s Senate campaign, said Hovde “made his position on abortion very clear: He supported overturning the law.” Roe v. Wadewhich has led millions of Wisconsin women to live under a near-total ban on abortion, with no exceptions for incest and rape.
A spokesperson for Hovde declined to elaborate on the candidate’s latest remarks Friday.
“That’s his position and his comments speak for themselves,” spokesman Ben Voelkel said.
Last month, a Hovde spokesperson told a local Wisconsin news station that Hovde supported an abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger. . In comments to reporters Thursday, Hovde also said he has remained consistent in his beliefs regarding exceptions.
On Thursday, Hovde also reiterated his support for birth control, saying that “if a woman wants access to birth control, let her have access to it.”
Hovde said he supports in vitro fertilization, a procedure that has come under scrutiny after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos formed during the process should be considered people . When this decision was made, many Republicans across the country sought to distance themselves from it.
“Obviously, I want anyone who wants to have a child to have a child,” Hovde said.
In recent months, Republicans have struggled to present a united message on reproductive rights while Democrats — particularly those running in swing states like Wisconsin — remind voters that Republicans have ended the access to abortion nationwide. This message also proved effective for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections.
As the Washington Post reported, One Nation, an arm of the GOP Senate campaign machine led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), last year released a poll memo claiming that GOP candidates should not call themselves “pro-life.” ” or say that the Supreme Court pushed the issue to the states with Dobbs. The memo also states that any candidate who does not support exceptions for rape, incest and maternal life will be vulnerable.
Former President Donald Trump, who named three of the conservative Supreme Court justices who decided to overturn Deer, bragged about his role in the decision, saying in January that “no one has done more” than him for the effort. But he also took a delicate line on the issue. Trump and his campaign have repeatedly said he supports exceptions for rape, incest and maternal life, and added that it is “an issue that should be decided at the state level.” .
Trump has yet to release a firm plan on abortion rights and was vague when asked at what point in pregnancy the procedure should be banned. Earlier this week, at a campaign rally, when asked about a Florida court’s decision to clear the way for a six-week ban, Trump told NBC News he would “make a statement next week on abortion.
Amy B Wang contributed to this report.
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