CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp said Thursday that Democrats are using the issue of abortion to “save” them from having to talk about glaring issues their party faces.
During the third Republican primary debate Wednesday night, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said that while she “welcomes” states preserving the right to life, she is also willing to accept that, in some states, “the people decided” to embrace legal abortion.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, on the other hand, called for a 15-week federal abortion ban.
Both answers came just one day after voters in Ohio enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.
“S.E., it felt like some of these answers were prepped way before Tuesday’s election and were not adjusted after Tuesday’s election,” CNN host Sara Bolduan said. “Why?” (RELATED: ‘You’re The One Not Being Honest’: Mika Brzezinski, Chris Christie Get Into Tense Exchange Over Abortion)
Cupp responded that, given the election results Tuesday night, she would have spent more time asking the candidates about abortion if she had been the moderator.
“I would have done 20 minutes on abortion … Republicans seemingly wanting to die on this hill are in fact dying. They are losing elections over and over and over again, because abortion is saving Democrats from, you know, crime, the economy, the border crisis — Democrats are using this very effectively,” Cupp said. “And so, I don’t think any of the candidates really had to take that on, and talk about whether they’ve learned those lessons or how they would go on to win in a general election when the majority of the country, including many Republican voters, are not with the far right on this issue.
A CNN exit poll conducted after Tuesday’s election found that the economy and immigration were the top two issues, while only seven percent of voters named abortion as their top issue.