In issue rankings, we often hear that abortion is the most important issue to just 4% to 5% of the country. But that’s not the right question.

Learn more about abortioncombined extensive qualitative and quantitative research to ask two additional questions.

beginning, Even when asked If you agree that “there are more important issues than abortion that politicians need to address,” 23% nationwide disagree with this statement, including 26% of women and self-identified pro-choice voters. This included 28% of voters.

More importantly, 48% of potential voters agreed with the statement, “I would never vote for an elected official whose beliefs about abortion differ from my own.” The focus groups revealed that agreement does not have to be exact, but should be within a ballpark and not the other way around.

To explain this contradiction, we believe that for some, abortion is not a policy issue, but rather an entry-level requirement for considering a candidate. This is similar to asking someone what is most important to them in a person they want to date. They give you a list, but if you look at their behavior, all the dates are in the same age group and same education level. These were not listed as the “most important traits” because the person did not intend to state that, but it is a subgroup to which all other important traits apply. For many voters as well, a position on the acceptability of abortion defines the subgroup of candidates to whom the issue applies.

According to our research, That “pro-choice” could mean anything up to an outright ban, and for many, 12 weeks or even six weeks of legal employment. In contrast, “pro-life” has been successfully branded by the left as its most extreme embodiment. In other words, abortion is prohibited, perhaps even to save the mother’s life.

In fact, many women believe that some states have made this absolutist position the law. In fact, abortion is legal in every state, at least to save the mother’s life, and most states have additional exceptions and periods during which abortion is legal. Details can be found here This interactive map At FactsAboutAbortionNow.com.

Perhaps one of the most important findings is that more care and support needs to be provided to women facing this difficult decision. In fact, nearly all voters care as much or more about mothers than they do about babies.

Regardless of their position on abortion, Republicans can polarize their positions by using stories and language that show common ground and empathy with voters, as Sen. J.D. Vance did in the debate. There is an opportunity for mitigation. The majority of people identify as pro-choice.

First, when faced with questions about abortion, candidates should not run away or look elsewhere. Pivoting is seen as “hiding something” and many people are “looking” for candidates to do this.

What voters want to know When abortion is legal, including exceptions after certain deadlines. Republican candidates should use the word “legitimate,” not just “accessible” or “available,” which seems like a weasel word to some. They need to talk about the specific situations in which they think abortion should be legal, and then talk about at what point a healthy baby is too developed to make abortion appropriate except in special circumstances. “Abortion should be legal up to a certain point, but after that it’s an exception.” beat “Abortion should be illegal, with exceptions, after a certain point” (56% vs. 32%), supported by 79% of those who want abortion to be legal until “a certain point.”

When discussing restrictions, be sure to specify a list of exceptions that apply after the period in which abortion is legal. Nationwide, 83 percent (a number that is nearly consistent across demographics) want candidates to be forthright and clear about the exceptions they support. Recognize that 90% of the country wants exceptions for rape, incest, the life of the mother, especially the viability of the baby, the health of the mother, and serious genetic defects.

There are other things to keep in mind. First, when a self-proclaimed pro-life politician says, “I don’t have the votes anyway,” the voice says that if there were votes, that politician would override common abortion laws with the most restrictive laws. can be heard. If you aim for a total ban, they can get away with it.

This is also why the phrase “leave it to the states” too often sounds like, “Well, you want to change my state to Oklahoma.” Rather, he said, just as Vance said, it is up to the people of the state to decide, their decision should be respected, and what is right for Oklahoma is not right for Pennsylvania.

Also note that people do not believe that medically unnecessary late-term elective abortions of healthy babies occur in significant numbers. When they hear someone say things like “late-term abortion” or “Democrats want abortion,” that’s what they think. I think that is an exaggeration and politicizes the issue. A better expression would be “at any time, for any reason.”

Millions of voters, especially women, are highly open-minded and will be even more likely to support the Republican Party and prioritize issues like the economy, immigration, and national security. But that only happens after they are convinced that the candidate does not align with their preferences on abortion.

Heather R. Higgins is the founder of Suasion Insights and CEO of Independent Women’s Voice (iwv.org).

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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