GOP pollster: Republicans would be stronger if they used Haley’s language on abortion

Conservative pollster Frank Luntz lauded presidential candidate Nikki Haley for her response to a debate question on abortion policy Wednesday.

Haley, the former U.N. ambassador, said a Republican president shouldn’t attempt to pass an abortion ban but should instead leave it to states. She also said Republicans don’t have near enough votes in Congress to pass a ban, even if they did get the White House.

“Nikki Haley has the best Republican answer on abortion,” Luntz said on X, formerly Twitter. “The GOP would be stronger if they used her language.”

Haley’s abortion comments focused on the feasibility and necessity of passing a federal abortion ban, not if it would be the right thing to do.

“I would support anything that would pass. But you have to be honest with the American people,” Haley said. “I would sign anything that would get 60 Senate votes. Don’t make the American people think you’re going to push something on them when you don’t even have the votes in the Senate.”

“This is a personal issue for every woman and every man,” she continued, while calling for civility in the debate.

“So when we’re looking at this, there are some states that are going more on the pro-life side. I welcome that. There are some states that are going more on the pro-choice side — I wish that wasn’t the case, but the people decided,” she said. “We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore.”

Abortion has been an increasingly relevant issue in the presidential campaign, and continues to be one after Republicans performed poorly in elections this week, when the issue appeared to be a priority for voters.

Democrats triumphed in Virginia on Tuesday after campaigning against Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s promise to pass an abortion ban if Republicans took the state government. In Ohio, voters enshrined abortion access in the state constitution.

Both of those moves come a year after abortion rights activists won two more votes in Kansas and Kentucky.

While Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has made abortion one of the most important issues of his campaign, Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former President Trump have shied away from emphasizing the topic.