For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Contact: Hannah Goss, hgoss@azdem.org
WHAT THEY’RE SEEING: GOP Senate Primary Candidates Look to Ban Abortion
PHOENIX — In the week since the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, Arizonans have heard all about how the GOP Senate primary candidates are looking beyond Roe to rip away reproductive rights in Arizona and across the country.
Last week, the ADP held a press conference to highlight how Mark Brnovich, Jim Lamon, and Blake Masters are running to end access to abortion, birth control, and women’s health care — all while ignoring the 87% of Arizonans who believe abortion should be legal.
To get a sense of what Arizonans have been seeing, see below for a roundup of news coverage:
ABC Phoenix: Americans react to leaked brief
Today, Democratic state leaders calling out Republicans, they were joined by the leader of ASU’s Young Democrats to advocate for reproductive rights, saying the reversal of Roe would take away one of the most foundational rights.
“This fight is nothing new for my mother, and this fight is nothing new for my grandmother. Generations and generations of women have fought for these very rights that I am once again forced to defend.”
CBS Phoenix: Senate GOP candidates say national abortion ban is ‘possible’
The interesting thing about this is for decades, the GOP has argued that abortion should be the right of individual states to decide, but a comment from one of the top party leaders may be changing that position as of last week.
…
During an interview in September, Masters did suggest Congress might need to get involved: “I think the federal government has a role to play here. Congress should have a debate, pick a certain point, and say, no, we’re going to recognize, right here, federal personhood, and pass that…absolutely no abortions.”
Arizona Republic: Court abortion leak could rock Arizona races up and down the ballot
The five men vying for the Republican nomination all oppose abortion rights and most wanted to punish the person responsible for leaking the court’s draft opinion.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich spoke in vague terms about enforcing a ban if it happens. “If Roe v. Wade is eventually overturned, we will get to work in AZ and across the country to protect life,” he said in a written statement from his campaign.
…
Blake Masters, the venture capitalist whose campaign is supported by billionaire Peter Thiel, tweeted “bye bye Roe.” He has in the past said states should not have the right to permit abortions.
HuffPost: GOP Senate Candidate Blake Masters Embraces National Abortion Ban
While many Republican lawmakers are shying away from talking about banning abortion outright, Arizona GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters is embracing it.
Three days after Politico published the draft, Masters said that the Roe decision was “absolutely horrible” and noted that the Constitution “does not mention abortion.”
He said that “at a minimum,” abortion should be left up to the states. But, he added, “I actually think we should go further than that though.”
…
On Jan. 27, speaking in Gilbert, Arizona, Masters chided his fellow Republicans who won’t back a national abortion ban. “What good is actually winning elections if you don’t do what you promised to do when you get in?” he said.
He added that simply saying “return the issue to the states” was “playing defense.”
Fox Phoenix: Party lobbyists & lawmakers rally against Roe v. Wade decision
Several Democratic lobbyists joining Democratic lawmakers in a rally against ending Roe v. Wade. […] Democrats also using the platform to call out their counterparts including Arizona’s Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Brnovich.
“Brnovich vowed to continue his work to rip away access to abortion care, this time setting his sights on not just Arizona, but this entire country. This fall, it is absolutely critical that we elect pro-choice candidates who believe in and will fight for our fundamental rights and freedoms up and down the ticket.”
Members also speaking out against Republican candidates Blake Masters and Jim Lamon.
###