Biden campaign leans into abortion fight, uses GOP debate rhetoric in new ad

The Biden campaign is running an ad that highlights GOP rivals’ plans for new limits on abortion and leverages sound bites from the first Republican presidential debate, leaning into an issue that Democrats see as a political winner.

The one-minute ad, titled “These Guys,” features old clips of former President Donald Trump taking credit for appointing the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and the national right to abortion.

It also features a debate stage clip of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a six-week limit on abortion in his state, and older footage from Sen. Tim Scott, who’s vowed to sign the most pro-life legislation possible if he wins the White House.

The Biden team says abortion decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor.

“The last people who should be involved are these guys,” the ad says. “Decisions about your body should be made by you. Not by them.”

Democrats were furious over the 2022 Supreme Court decision that opened the door to state-based restrictions on abortion, but they’ve leveraged the issue at the ballot box.

A series of ballot measures have resulted in victories for the pro-choice side, even in red states, and the Biden campaign is hoping that anger over the GOP crackdown on abortion will animate key voters, such as young people and suburban women.

The first debate of the Republican presidential primary showcased a growing schism in the GOP over laws restricting abortion and whether nationwide limits are needed.

Anti-abortion groups are pressuring policymakers to limit the procedure at the federal level, and it has become a top issue in the presidential campaign.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who said she was “unapologetically pro-life,” said it would be unlikely that a federal ban would pass since it needs 60 Senate votes and a majority of the House. She said there needs to be a “consensus,” and that Americans need to “humanize the situation and stop demonizing the situation.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence rebuked Mrs. Haley by saying that consensus is the opposite of leadership.

“Can’t we have a minimum standard in every state in the nation that says when a baby is capable of feeling pain, an abortion cannot be allowed?” Mr. Pence said.

He said it was time for a 15-week ban. Some polls say this threshold is supported by 70% of Americans.

Mr. Scott sided with Mr. Pence and backed the 15-week ban.

“We cannot let states like California, New York, and Illinois have abortions on-demand up until the day of birth,” he said. “That is immoral. It is unethical. It is wrong.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum advocated for no federal ban, even though he signed a near-total abortion ban in his state.

“I’m a pro-life governor of a very pro-life state,” Mr. Burgum said. “This issue is, of course, very important. But I am on the record and I stand behind that we should not have a federal abortion ban.”

Mr. DeSantis, meanwhile, said Democrats want to “allow abortion all the way up to the moment of birth,” and that Republicans will hold Democrats accountable for their “extremism.”

The Republican National Committee has been pushing its candidates to put Democrats on defense over the issue. Party officials say Republicans should force Democrats to declare whether they support abortion at any time and with zero limits.

The Biden campaign says it has the upper hand on the issue. The abortion ad is one piece of a 16-week, $25 million advertising buy that will run on digital platforms in key 2024 states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“MAGA Republicans came to the debate stage and boasted about their support to strip women of the right to make their own health care decisions,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said. “President Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans against these bans, and for codifying Roe into law.”