As former President Donald Trump moves closer to picking his running mate, a major Democratic abortion rights group is taking his pool of vice presidential candidates to task on his record on reproductive rights.
EMILY’s List, a pro-abortion rights group dedicated to electing Democratic candidates, is targeting Trump’s ever-evolving slate of candidates in its annual “Warning” list to highlight what they call an “extreme anti-abortion agenda.”
Among the 14 contenders for the GOP vice presidential nomination are Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. , former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Sen. Byron Donalds of Florida, and other former administration officials and allies like Katie Britt of Alabama and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake.
The group also lists former Republican presidential candidates such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“Our message with these Republican VP picks is really simple. EMILY’s List sees extremism and we are warning you that this will be a ticket that supports an extreme anti-abortion agenda,” EMILY’s List President Jessica Mackler said in an interview.
“We also think it’s important to emphasize that as far as her co-worker is concerned, this will be a ticket that will work to eliminate reproductive freedom in America, no matter who they choose,” she said.
With months to go before this summer’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump has offered little insight into his deliberations on picking a new nominee. But he has given some hints about what kind of partner he wants to have in the next administration and what issues are driving his search.
He has He called Scott a “fantastic person.” and sees him as an effective agitator on his behalf He described Stefanik as a “murderer”. and sees Increased stock in Vance After successfully advising Trump during the Ohio Republican Senate primary.
However, the issue of abortion and how it will be treated during the election campaign already shows how Trump treats his “closures”.
Two sources close to Trump said he was laser focused on the issue when it comes to picking his next running mate and asked whether the future vice presidential candidates’ hardline views on abortion could turn off key voters in November.
But Mackler made it clear that EMILY’s List would make no distinction between candidates; his group sees them all as outside the mainstream.
“They’re doing everything they can to hide their extremism,” Mackler said, in what he sees as “a clear attempt to deceive voters and make them believe that he’s somebody else, and we already know that we can’t trust Donald Trump. That.”
Trump has long cited Roe v. He noted his role in canceling the fight against Wade. After months of questioning by reporters and opponents, Trump posted a video This month, he said he believes abortion policy should be left up to the states.
Days later, after the Arizona Supreme Court cleared the way an almost complete ban on abortion, Trump acknowledged the restrictions “go too far” and said the legislation would be “fixed.” In the same exchange with reporters, he said he would not sign a national abortion ban, despite calls from many of his Republican colleagues.
Despite his emphasis on states’ rights, Trump kept it that way From the day it entered the political eye of the public until today, various opinions on the subject: He described himself as “very pro-choice” and said Florida’s six-week abortion restrictions were “a terrible, terrible thing,” and in 2016 told former MSNBC host Chris Matthews that women who have abortions should be punished.
Meanwhile, the Democrats continue to take this issue seriously in the election campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris – He calls Trump “the architect of this healthcare crisis.” took a leading role in the administration’s messaging on abortion rights with a nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour — during a stop in Phoenix this month. With Florida’s six-week restrictions set to go into effect next month, President Joe Biden He will make campaign speeches in Tampa On Tuesday, Roe v. An attempt to link Wade to the consequences of overthrowing him.
The The latest NBC News national poll It found Biden with a 15-point lead over Trump for dealing with the issue of abortion, but the issue ranked fifth in a poll of what they see as the biggest issue facing the country.