SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Republicans are heading into the midterm elections with messages for voters on everything from inflation to crime and education to homelessness.
But you’re less likely to hear anything about abortion.
A group of GOP leaders and state Senate and Assembly candidates gathered Wednesday on the Capitol steps to tout their “California Promise” agenda. Speakers were eager to share their vision for reforming criminal justice policies and helping unhoused residents.
But when asked about candidates’ stances on abortion, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, suggested the issue is a “distraction” Democrats are employing to avoid talking about “their record on failing the California people.”
“The law on abortion is not changing in California,” Gallagher said. “Everybody knows that. It’s staying the same. It is accessible. It is safe here. So that’s not changing at all in this state. We’re focused on the problems that are really pressing matters in this state.”
That view is in lockstep with the national GOP strategy on abortion in a post-Roe v. Wade landscape. Democratic candidates, capitalizing on anger about Roe, are leaning hard on reproductive rights in their campaign messages.
As a result, many Republicans in tough races are keeping their anti-abortion views off campaign websites and out of mailers. They’re also staying away from discussions at public events. This allows them to quietly telegraph their policies to more conservative voters who are against abortion, while also trying to attract party moderates and independents with their stances on other topics.
“The No. 1 issue that concerns voters, and what they’re going to turn out for is their cost of living and inflation,” Gallagher said. “And followed by homelessness and public safety. Those are the top concerns of Californians. And that’s what they’re going to turn out to change.”
California voters concerned about economy and abortion
California polls do show that voters’ top concerns are the economy and inflation, homelessness and housing costs. But they also care about abortion rights and strongly support Proposition 1, a ballot initiative to add an abortion rights amendment to the California constitution.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll conducted in early September found 29% of respondents see jobs, the economy and inflation top issues facing the state. Fourteen percent said homelessness was the primary problem; 11% cited housing costs and availability; 8% identified the environment, pollution and climate change, and the final 8% said water availability and drought.
But the same poll said 69% of likely voters supported Proposition 1, while just 25% said they would cast ballots against it.
A Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted in August showed 81% of voters think abortion is an important election issue, and 63% said it is “very important.”
Democrats tie Republicans to anti-abortion extremists
Sacramento-area Democratic Assembly and Senate candidates are open about their support for abortion rights and have run television ads attacking Republicans for opposing the procedure.
Suburban GOP candidates told The Sacramento Bee they’re against abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or threats to the health or life of the pregnant person. But their campaign websites say nothing about reproductive rights, and it’s not a frequent talking point.
Incumbent Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, is running against Republican Josh Hoover in the eastern Sacramento suburbs. Cooley’s website says he “supports a woman’s right to choose and will keep fighting to make sure that California remains a place where a woman’s private healthcare decisions belong to them.”
However, Cooley’s reproductive rights voting record also earned him an ‘F’ grade on the NARAL Pro-Choice California’s 2022 legislative scorecard.
The Assemblyman supports Proposition 1, although he was absent when the Assembly voted to add it to the November ballot, said Andrew Acosta, Cooley’s campaign spokesman.
Hoover, who serves as chief of staff to Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, is against Proposition 1. He said abortion is “something that’s really up to the California voters on the ballot issue” and he would respect the outcome of the election.
Although he’s against abortion, Hoover said Cooley’s ad paints him as supporting a complete ban, even though he is in favor of some exceptions.
Cooley’s ad links Hoover with extreme anti-abortion groups, including the American Council, a Christian political advocacy group that endorsed him. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, American Council president Tanner DiBella tweeted, “Thank you, Jesus! California, we’re coming for you next!”
Ignoring abortion access ‘irresponsible and dangerous’?
A similar dynamic is playing out in the Senate race between Democrat Paula Villescaz and Republican Roger Niello, who are running to replace outgoing Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Red Bluff, in a district that includes Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Roseville and Lincoln.
Villescaz is the associate director of legislative advocacy for the County Welfare Directors Association of California and served as president of the San Juan Unified School District. She is pro-abortion rights and has run TV ads saying Niello is the “wrong choice for California” because he “refuses to stand up for a woman’s right to choose.”
Niello, a former Assemblyman and Sacramento County supervisor, said he’s anti-abortion with exceptions and opposes Proposition 1. He said he is open to talking to voters about his stance on the issue, but he stands by his opinion.
“It’s not an issue in the campaign,” Niello said. “I understand what it is bringing it up, but the law of California is certainly much like Roe v. Wade was. It’s not part of my agenda to fly into the Legislature and immediately try to convert California to a pro-life state. I have plenty of other things to work on.”
Villescaz said she thinks voters are concerned about abortion access in addition to issues like the rising cost of living and gas prices. She said Californians fear the threat of a national abortion ban, and the state could do more to expand reproductive healthcare services.
“For them to pretend like we have no responsibility, or that it’s not an issue here in California, is completely irresponsible and dangerous,” Villescaz said. “In fact, even now in California, where we have a wider array of access to women’s health care services, including abortion, we have many, many communities here in Sacramento County that do not have access to these services.”
