New York Democrats Ramp Up Abortion Rights Attacks, Target GOP Voting Records

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Democrats in New York, reeling from significant losses two years ago, are intensifying their campaign strategy by targeting abortion rights in a series of critical House races. Accusing Republicans of threatening reproductive freedoms, Democrats aim to leverage the issue to sway voters in battleground districts. This approach, which has proven effective in tight races nationwide, is now being revived with renewed vigor, backed by what Democrats claim is irrefutable evidence: the voting records of Republican incumbents.

 

The strategy is being rolled out in half a dozen key House races, where Democrats are branding first-term GOP representatives as hypocrites. In a slew of heated attacks, Democratic candidates are painting their opponents as enemies of abortion rights. Josh Riley, a Democratic challenger, launched a digital ad targeting Rep. Marc Molinaro, accusing him of undermining women’s rights. Similarly, Laura Gillen penned an opinion piece asserting that her opponent, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, would dismantle “women’s freedoms.” Additionally, Rep. Pat Ryan released a television ad condemning his challenger, Alison Esposito, for celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

 

The issue of abortion access remains a potent force, particularly among suburban women, as states across the country enact near-total bans two years after the landmark Supreme Court decision. Recognizing this, battleground Democrats are clinging to the issue to bolster their electoral chances while simultaneously fending off GOP criticisms of their handling of the economy, public safety, and border security. The stakes are particularly high in New York, where six competitive districts could play a pivotal role in determining which party controls the House next year.

 

“In the Republican-held swing seats, every sitting Congress member has an anti-abortion record,” said Alyssa Cass, a Democratic consultant who worked for Ryan in the previous election cycle and is currently involved in the campaign to pass the New York Equal Rights Amendment this fall. “While they can mouth the language of moderation, their voting records and party allegiance say the exact opposite, and it is the job of every Democratic campaign and spender to loudly call bullshit.”

 

This cycle, Democrats’ efforts will be bolstered by the anticipated inclusion of the New York Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot in November, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ position at the top of their ticket. Democrats argue that recent votes by battleground Republicans are indicative of a slippery slope toward a nationwide abortion ban, highlighting the party’s strategy on this contentious issue in a traditionally blue state where reproductive rights are protected.

 

“The biggest difference is that Marc Molinaro now has a voting record in Congress, and that voting record is really, really bad for upstate New Yorkers,” said Riley in an interview, referencing the vulnerable Republican’s vote “to restrict access to abortion for veterans and women in the military who have put their lives on the line to defend our freedom.” Riley’s comments alluded to a provision in a defense funding bill that would overturn Pentagon policy on reimbursing troops for travel to obtain abortions—a practice that Republicans argue violates the federal ban on using taxpayer money for abortions.

 

On the other side, Republicans accuse Democrats of spreading lies, distorting facts, and acting out of desperation. All six GOP contenders in the target districts, including Molinaro and Rep. Mike Lawler, have reiterated their opposition to a nationwide abortion ban. They argue that Democrats are overplaying their hand, predicting that the GOP will expand its influence if Democrats continue to focus on what they see as the wrong priorities.

 

“I don’t hear abortion at all,” said Esposito, a former NYPD officer challenging Ryan in the Hudson Valley, in an interview about her interactions with voters. “That’s just something the left is screaming as a talking point, and really, it’s codified in New York state, so it’s a moot talking point.”

 

Ryan, a combat veteran, has consistently linked reproductive freedom to broader rights under threat by what he describes as an “anti-freedom MAGA agenda.” The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democrat-aligned House Majority Forward PAC have also released ads attacking Republicans’ records on abortion, citing their time in Congress as evidence.

 

“D’Esposito’s record is clear,” wrote Gillen in a Long Island news outlet, pointing out his vote to “fund misleading so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ which peddle dangerous misinformation about reproductive health care to women.” Democrats have also criticized Republicans for their votes on other abortion-related issues, including efforts to prevent states from restricting the use of federal funds for crisis pregnancy centers and to impose criminal penalties on doctors who perform abortions. Democratic challenger Mondaire Jones has made the latter the focal point of his recent press conference condemning Lawler.

 

Republicans have defended their votes by arguing that reimbursing troops’ travel for abortions violates the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion procedures. They also claim that ensuring federal funding for crisis pregnancy centers preserves choices for pregnant women and that the bill to penalize doctors is intended to protect babies born alive after failed abortions.

 

“Healthcare decisions should be between a woman and her doctor,” Molinaro stated in response to an abortion-themed attack ad, which he described as being full of falsehoods. Democrats have noted that polling indicates voters remain angry about the overturning of Roe and have pointed to New York Republicans’ support of party leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson and vice presidential nominee JD Vance—both of whom are vocal proponents of a nationwide abortion ban—as evidence that they are not as politically moderate as they claim to be. They have also criticized Lawler for attending events at two crisis pregnancy centers, Molinaro for financially supporting one as a local official, and both lawmakers for hosting Florida Rep. Kat Cammack, the co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, in their districts.

 

Molinaro and Lawler, who have described themselves as “personally pro-life,” have emphasized their support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a key issue where they diverge from their Republican colleagues. Earlier this month, Lawler introduced new legislation offering tax credits for IVF expenses, and Molinaro has since signed on as a co-sponsor. Molinaro was also the first in his party, with Lawler as the second, to sign on to a Democrat-led bill aimed at protecting IVF at the federal level. Both have repeatedly told POLITICO that they would reject a nationwide ban on abortion.

 

“In New York, abortion is not at risk of going away,” Lawler said in an interview. “The law is set in New York, and I think Democrats want to try to make it an issue when in fact, it’s not going anywhere. So I think what is clear and where there is broad consensus is on the issue of IVF.”

 

However, Jones argued that Lawler cannot be trusted to vote against a nationwide ban any more than former President Donald Trump could be trusted not to sign one into law.

 

“He saw how damaging the situation in Alabama was for Republicans and sought to get ahead of it by introducing legislation that would not truly protect IVF,” Jones said in an interview. “And, of course, he’s the guy who helped elect Donald Trump, who then put justices on the Supreme Court who ended Roe v. Wade.”

 

D’Esposito, who has been the target of a recent House Majority Forward ad accusing him of supporting a “total abortion ban,” has sought to flip the Democrats’ narrative. “The only untrustworthy actors on the topic of abortion,” he asserted, “are Democrats who continuously push the fake narrative that House Republicans are moving to ban abortion.”

 

Credit: Politico  2024-08-16

 

 

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