Where Republican Midterm Candidates Really Stand on Abortion

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The 2022 midterm elections will have major implications for abortion rights across the country. Democrats in Congress could pass legislation like the Women’s Health Protection Act to protect abortion access and restore some of what was lost in the overturning of Roe if they win a majority on November 8. Republicans could advance the 15-week national abortion ban Senator Lindsay Graham has proposed if they win control. Governors, meanwhile, will determine abortion access in their states.

Survey data show that 61 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Kansas voters decisively rejected a ballot proposal that would have amended the state’s constitution to say it doesn’t protect abortion rights. Perhaps realizing that stridently anti-abortion positions are out of step with a majority of voters, Republicans in recent months have scrubbed their campaign websites of abortion policies, walked back hard-line anti-abortion statements, and sometimes outright lied about what they’ve said on the issue.

To cut through that obfuscation and make Republican midterm candidates’ records on abortion clear to voters, the Cut asked 79 competitive Senate, House, and gubernatorial candidates how they would use their power to regulate abortion if elected. The questions were:

Only five candidates responded directly or referred us to their campaign websites. For those who did not respond, we looked at their voting records, campaign websites, candidate surveys, and public statements. Some deflect attention to opponents whom they accuse of advocating for “late term” abortion or abortion “up to the moment of birth,” a mischaracterization of the rare instances that happen after 21 weeks of pregnancy. Others avoid the topic entirely or call it a “distraction” from issues like the economy. The results reveal that many Republican midterm candidates are up against the ropes on abortion policy.

GO TO
Alaska | Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | Texas | Virginia | Washington | Wisconsin

Alaska

Nicholas Begich (AK-At Large)

Begich told a local radio host that he opposes abortion in most cases but favors an exception in the case of incest or rape. He also said he would vote against a bill to codify Roe nationally.

Arizona

Kari Lake (Governor)
Before: Lake said she would introduce “a carbon copy” of Texas’s SB 8, which banned abortion around six weeks of pregnancy, for Arizona. She has also supported Arizona’s pre-Roe abortion ban, which leaves no exceptions except to save the life of a patient.
Now: Lake gave an interview in October, saying, “It would be really wonderful if abortion was rare and legal, the way they said it before … but that’s not what they want.” Her team has since walked back that position, saying Lake does not want to make changes to Arizona’s existing abortion law.

Blake Masters (Senate)
Before: Masters’s campaign website previously included promises to support a fetal-personhood law and vote for judges who believe there is no constitutional right to abortion.
Now: Masters has scrubbed his abortion policy from his website. He said in an October debate that he supports both Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban and a proposed national 15-week ban.

David Schweikert (AZ-01)
Schweikert consistently voted for anti-abortion legislation in six terms in Congress. He also said in a candidate survey that he opposes abortion except to save the life of a patient.

Eli Crane (AZ-02)
Crane released a statement after the Dobbs ruling saying that “our Constitution never authorizes the right to terminate human life.”

Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06)
Ciscomani’s campaign website states that he is “pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother.”

California

Tom Patti (CA-09)
Patti told the L.A. Times he believes “a woman has a right to choose her own reproductive-health choices.” He didn’t answer directly when asked whether he would vote to codify Roe v. Wade, instead saying that he would follow “the will of the voters” and that he supports restrictions on late-term abortions. At an October debate, Patti said he does not support a national abortion ban.

John Duarte (CA-13)
Duarte said in a September debate that “I believe women should have access to abortion in the first three months, and I will vote against any effort to nationalize abortion law. Period.”

David Valadao (CA-22)
While in Congress, Valadao co-sponsored a bill that would give legal protections to fetuses and embryos from the moment of fertilization. He also previously voted for a national 20-week abortion ban.

Mike Garcia (CA-27)
Garcia co-sponsored legislation for a national 20-week abortion ban while serving in Congress. His campaign told the Los Angeles Times that Garcia supported “exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest, or threats to the mother’s health.”

Ken Calvert (CA-41)
Calvert has co-sponsored a proposed 20-week national abortion ban and voted for anti-abortion legislation while in Congress. He told the L.A. Times that he believes “abortion should be an option for victims of rape, incest, or in cases where the health of the mother is in jeopardy.

Michelle Steel (CA-45)
In a previous term in Congress, Steel voted against abortion-access legislation and co-sponsored a bill that would give legal protections to fetuses and embryos from the moment of fertilization. She told the L.A. Times that she does not support abortion “except in cases of rape, incest, and to protect the life of the mother.”

Scott Baugh (CA-47)
Baugh told the Orange County Register, “Life begins at conception. Others may disagree as to precisely when life begins, but there should be no disagreement as to whether it is okay to abort children who have reached the point of viability.” He has said he would vote against legislation to codify abortion rights nationally and supports limiting abortion after the first trimester.

Brian Maryott (CA-49)
Maryott said in an October debate that he supports legal abortion in the first trimester as well as exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of a patient. He also said he would oppose a national abortion ban.

Colorado

Joe O’Dea (Senate)
In response to the Cut’s survey, O’Dea said, “I supported Roe v. Wade and opposed the decision overturning it. I support a national law protecting a woman’s right to choose in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and in the case of rape, incest, and medical emergencies. I do not support elective late-term abortion, and I do not believe religious hospitals should be required to perform procedures they oppose.” O’Dea said he would oppose a national abortion ban and restrictive abortion legislation without exceptions for rape, incest, or when the life of a patient is threatened.

Barbara Kirkmeyer (CO-08) 
Before: On an American Family Association voter survey asking, “Should abortion be allowed under extenuating circumstances?” Kirkmeyer answered no, adding that she has been “a proud and consistent supporter of the personhood movement, unambiguously defending life from conception.” Her campaign website listed “defending the sanctity of life” as one of her priorities in July.
Now: Kirkmeyer has scrubbed her website of her position on abortion. When asked about these changes, she told a local news outlet, “I’m pro-life, and I always have been,” and “everyone makes changes” to their websites.

Connecticut

George Logan (CT-05)
Logan said in an October debate that he supports “a woman’s right to choose,” while suggesting he would oppose a bill codifying Roe nationally. “I’m going to abide by the ruling from the Supreme Court,” he said. “I don’t believe Congress, constitutionally speaking, has the ability to do that.” He also said he opposes abortion later in pregnancy and supports requiring parental notification for minors seeking an abortion.

Florida

Marco Rubio (Senate)
Rubio has co-sponsored Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week national abortion ban. In an August interview, he said that “abortion is the killing of an unborn human being” and that he does not believe “the dignity and the worth of human life is tied to the circumstances of their conception,” suggesting he would support restrictive abortion legislation without exceptions.

Georgia

Brian Kemp (Governor)
As governor in 2019, Kemp signed a bill into law that bans abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy.

Herschel Walker (Senate)
Before: Walker said in May that he supported abortion bans without exceptions for any reason. He told reporters in July, “There’s not a national ban on abortion right now, and I think that’s a problem.”
After: Walker tried to rewrite history in an October debate, saying, “I never said I didn’t have any exceptions. I said I’m for life.” He told the moderator it was “not true” that he supported a national abortion ban without exceptions.

Illinois

Keith Pekau (IL-06)
Pekau described himself as “pro-life” to a local news outlet. After his Democratic opponent launched an ad saying Pekau would let states ban all abortions even in cases of rape and incest, Pekau said the ad misrepresented his views but did not elaborate further.

Regan Deering (IL-13)
Deering’s campaign website says that “with the exception of risk to a mother’s life or trauma/assault, Illinois needs to stop being a gateway for easy access and on-demand abortions.” She said in an October debate that she would oppose a national abortion ban.

Esther Joy King (IL-17)
King said in an October debate that she opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and to save the life of the patient. When asked by a local news outlet whether she would vote for a national abortion ban, King did not give a definitive answer.

Indiana

Jennifer-Ruth Green (IN-01)
Green told Politico she would support a 15-week national abortion ban “with exceptions of life of the mother, rape, and incest.” Green’s campaign also told a local news outlet that she supports requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions.

Iowa

Zach Nunn (IA-03)
Before: Nunn raised his hand in a May primary debate when asked if he agreed that “all abortions should be illegal in this country.” The moderator had clarified that the question was about banning all abortions without exceptions.
Now: Nunn tried to moderate that stance in a Des Moines Register op-ed, writing that while he believes “life begins at conception,” as a state senator he voted for a bill that would ban abortion around six weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, and to save the life of the pregnant person.

Kansas

Derek Schmidt (Governor)
Schmidt said in September that he would respect voters’ rejection of a ballot initiative that would remove abortion rights from the state constitution. He said he would defend Kansas’s 22-week abortion ban and opposes abortion generally with exceptions for rape, incest, to save the life of the patient, when a fetus has a medical condition that would prevent it from surviving outside the womb.

Amanda Adkins (KS-03)
Adkins’s campaign responded to the Cut’s survey, saying, “Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Amanda believes abortion decisions should be made at the state level. She does not support ANY federal legislation on abortion.”

Maine

Paul LePage (Governor)
Before: LePage said in candidate survey from the Christian Civic League of Maine that he believed abortion access should be restricted.
Now: LePage struggled to directly answer questions about abortion in an October debate. He said he supports a Maine law allowing abortion up to fetal viability, or about 24 to 28 weeks, but repeatedly deflected when asked whether he would block tighter abortion restrictions or let them take effect.

Bruce Poliquin (ME-02)
Before: Poliquin voted for a national 20-week abortion ban in a previous term in Congress.
Now: Poliquin has softened that stance, answering no to a Christian Civic League of Maine survey question about whether Congress should restrict abortion. His campaign did not respond to a local paper’s inquiry about whether he supported Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week national abortion ban.

Michigan

Tudor Dixon (Governor)
Dixon said in a July interview that she believes abortion bans should allow exceptions only for saving the life of a patient and not for cases of incest or rape. When pressed about whether that belief would apply to a 14-year-old abuse victim, Dixon said, “A life is a life for me.”

John Gibbs (MI-03)
Gibbs’s campaign website says he believes “life begins at the moment of conception.” He told the Detroit News that he opposes abortion-ban exceptions in cases of rape and incest and that when the patient’s life is in danger, “it’s definitely not true that the only solution in this case is abortion.”

Tom Barrett (MI-07)
Before: Barrett’s campaign website previously stated that he would “always work to protect life from conception.”
Now: Barrett has removed that language from his website in favor of deflecting attention onto his opponent. It now reads, “While Senator Barrett has been a consistent pro-life state legislator, Elissa Slotkin supports some of the most extreme abortion policies of anyone in Congress.”

Paul Junge (MI-08)
Junge told the Detroit News that he doesn’t support allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest but would support an exception to save the life of the patient. In an October radio interview, he suggested regulating abortion should be left up to each state.

Minnesota

Tyler Kistner (MN-02)
Before: Kistner’s campaign would not rule out the possibility that he would support a proposed national 15-week abortion ban. The candidate’s abortion policy was scrubbed from his website as recently as September.
Now: Kistner’s website says that he believes abortion policy should be left to the states and that he is “pro-life with exceptions for the victims of rape and incest and to protect the life of the mother.” The site also deflects attention onto his opponent, who it misleadingly suggests advocates for abortion “minutes before the child is to be delivered.”

Nebraska

Don Bacon (NE-02)

Bacon co-sponsored legislation in Congress to ban abortion nationally at around six weeks of pregnancy, with an exception only to save the life of the patient. He also said in an October debate that he would support a national 15-week abortion ban.

Nevada

Joe Lombardo (Governor)
Before: Lombardo said in August that if elected he would repeal an executive order that protects out-of-state patients from prosecution if they travel to Nevada for an abortion.
Now: Lombardo has published a statement saying he would not repeal this order “until the legislature can make clear that Nevada is not going to prosecute women who seek an abortion or medical providers that perform legal abortions.” He added that he does not support abortion bans in Nevada or at the national level and that he supports “access to abortions in the case of rape, incest, and/or when the life of the mother is in jeopardy.”

Adam Laxalt (Senate)
Laxalt published an op-ed in August that said he would support a voter referendum to ban abortion in Nevada after 13 weeks and accused his opponent of “falsely claiming that I am in favor of a national abortion ban.” As attorney general, he filed briefs supporting laws in Texas and Alabama that would ban the procedure most commonly used for second-trimester abortions.

Mark Robertson (NV-01)
Before: Robertson’s campaign website said he opposes abortion with exceptions only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the patient.
Now: Robertson’s website has been updated to include claims that other politicians have the “extreme” position of supporting abortion “up until the very day of delivery,” a misleading statement that mischaracterizes the very rare instances of abortions that happen later in a pregnancy. In response to the Cut’s survey, Robertson said he would oppose any national abortion laws.

April Becker (NV-03)

Becker’s campaign website states that she is “a pro-life mom, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.” In a September interview with NBC News, Becker said she believes a nation abortion ban would be “unconstitutional.”

Sam Peters (NV-04)
Before: Peters’s campaign website states that if elected he would reintroduce a slate of anti-abortion legislation, including a national 20-week abortion ban.
Now: Peters appeared to moderate the stance that remains on his website and oppose a national abortion ban in an October debate, saying, “I disagree with the comment that a federal ban or limitation would overrule state law because the Supreme Court just decided in the Dobbs decision that it’s a state’s right.”

New Hampshire

Don Bolduc (Senate)

Bolduc said in a September interview that he would vote against a proposed 15-week national abortion ban, calling it “a misguided piece of legislation.” He also criticized his opponent for talking about abortion rights instead of the economy.

Karoline Leavitt (NH-01)
Leavitt said in an October interview that she would not support a national abortion ban “because I believe this is an issue that should be left to our state.” She said she supports New Hampshire’s law banning abortion at or after 24 weeks with exceptions only to save the life of the patient and in the case of a fatal fetal diagnosis.

Bob Burns (NH-02)
Before: When asked in a 2018 interview if he would support abortion “to save the life of a mother,” Burns said, “I believe that we would need a panel in those sort of situations. In those cases, I would say yes, you’re trading a life for a life, and you can’t say you’re pro-life and that one life is worth more than the other life.”
Now: Burns walked that comment back in a debate, saying that he “probably misspoke” and that he supports a national 15-week abortion ban. His campaign website goes further, saying he would support a national abortion ban at around six weeks.

New Jersey

Thomas Kean Jr. (NJ-07)
Before: Kean offered a muddled answer during an October debate, saying he supported a woman’s right to choose except for what he called “reasonable restrictions,” such as cases of rape or incest.
Now: Kean later told Gothamist he had misspoken and would support abortion up to 20 weeks, allowing exceptions later in pregnancy for “rape, incest, life, health of the mother or the baby.”

New Mexico

Mark Ronchetti (Governor)
Ronchetti’s campaign website says he supports allowing “abortion up to 15 weeks and in cases involving rape, incest, and when a mother’s life is at risk.” In September, he called for a ballot initiative to add an amendment on the legality of abortion to the state’s constitution.

Yvette Herrell (NM-02)
Before: Herrell co-sponsored legislation in Congress that would give legal protections to fetuses and embryos from the moment of fertilization, effectively banning abortion nationwide.
Now: Herrell said in response to a local newspaper’s survey that she believes “the states should have the final say in how abortion is regulated.”

New York

Nick LaLota (NY-01)
Before: LaLota’s campaign website previously called for the New York State Legislature to repeal a law that expanded access to abortion after 24 weeks for patients whose pregnancy threatens their health or if the fetus would be unable to survive outside the womb.
Now: LaLota’s website highlights his opposition to abortion in the second and third trimesters as well as his support for abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life.

George Devolder-Santos (NY-03)
After the Dobbs decision, Devolder-Santos put a statement on his website saying, “I am pro-life, however I have never and will never advocate for an absolute ban of abortion in New York or America.” He said abortion may be necessary in cases of rape, incest, to protect the health and life of the patient, or when the fetus has a fatal diagnosis. He told a local news outlet that he does not support a proposed national 15-week abortion ban.

Michael Lawler (NY-17)
Lawler’s campaign pointed the Cut to an October op-ed in which he wrote that he is “personally pro-life, while also supporting the right to an abortion in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is in jeopardy.” He added that he would vote against a national abortion ban.

Colin Schmitt (NY-18)
During his tenure in the New York State Assembly, Schmitt voted against legislation that would give abortion providers legal protection. At an October debate, he said he opposes abortions later in pregnancy.

Marcus Molinaro (NY-19)
Before: Molinaro affirmed the right to an abortion during a previous campaign for governor, saying he would support codifying it in New York State law.
Now: Molinaro said in September that while he doesn’t want the government involved in women’s decisions, he believes “at some point there ought to be some limitation, except in the case of life of the mother, rape, and incest.” He has also said he would not support a national abortion ban.

Brandon Williams (NY-22)
Before: A “pro-life” section of Williams’s campaign website previously read, “I am pro-life by faith; abortion ends all of the future possibilities of the life it extinguishes. No one is more vulnerable than the unborn and we must protect them. Federal tax dollars should not go to any abortion provider and we must support the education of expecting mothers to alternatives to the abortion industry message.”
Now: Williams’s website highlights his support for abortion under certain circumstances: “Brandon will always promote life while also standing with young mothers to ensure that choice is protected in instances of rape, incest, or life of the mother.”

North Carolina

Ted Budd (Senate)
Budd voted against abortion-access legislation in previous terms in Congress and co-sponsored a bill that would ban abortion nationally at around six weeks of pregnancy with an exception only to save the life of the patient. In an October interview, Budd said he has “always been about supporting life, including the life of the mother.” He added that he believes abortion is an issue best handled by states but that he would support a federal abortion ban if “the Democrats are going do something as extreme as the Women’s Health Protection Act.”

Sandy Smith (NC-01)
Before: In an American Family Association voter survey, Smith said, “Life begins at conception and we now have the science to prove this. I am not for any exceptions to murder a baby in the womb.”
Now: She has since moderated that stance, telling a local newspaper that she would consider a national abortion ban allowing exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the patient.

Bo Hines (NC-13)
Before: Hines said in an interview during the primary that he believes “abortion is murder, unequivocally,” and his campaign website previously had a page on “life and family” that said he was “100% pro-life.” He responded to a local paper’s survey about abortion by saying, “Abortion should be made illegal throughout the United States. No exceptions.”
Now: Hines’s website distances the candidate from these positions. It has been scrubbed of references to “life and family” and doesn’t outline any abortion policies.

Ohio

J.D. Vance (Senate)
Before: Vance said in a 2021 interview that he opposed abortion and didn’t support allowing exceptions for incest or rape, saying, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Now: Vance deflected on whether he would support a proposed 15-week national abortion ban in an October debate, saying, “Some minimum national standard is totally fine with me.” He also claimed to support “reasonable exceptions” to abortion restrictions.

Steve Chabot (OH-01)
Chabot has sponsored anti-abortion legislation in Congress since 2003 when he authored a law banning “partial birth” abortion, which has no medical definition. He touted Democrats’ support for the law at the time and, in an October debate, the law’s exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the patient.

J.R. Majewski (OH-09)
Before: Majewski’s website previously said that he believes life begins at conception and that he would “support all legislation that protects life in the womb.”
Now: Majewski has scrubbed that language from his website.

Madison Gesiotto Gilbert (OH-13)
Gesiotto Gilbert’s website says she supports a bill that would ban abortion nationally at 20 weeks. She did not directly answer questions about whether she would support a ban on all abortions in a recent candidate survey by a local newspaper.

Oregon

Christine Drazan (Governor)
Before: Drazan previously championed her pro-life stance, saying she would veto any legislation allowing government funds to support patients traveling from other states to seek abortions.
Now: Drazan has scrubbed any mention of abortion from her campaign website. 

Alek Skarlatos (OR-04)
Skarlatos touted an endorsement from Oregon Right to Life in 2020. He said in October that he would not vote for a national abortion ban “because it’s a state issue.”

Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05)
Before: Chavez-DeRemer said in May that she would favor passing legislation that bans abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy.
Now: She moderated that stance in an October interview, saying she supports access to abortion in the first trimester. She said, “A national ban is not something I ever want to see,” but
avoided saying whether she would vote for one.

Mike Erickson (OR-06)
Erickson told a local news outlet that he does not support Congress taking action on abortion access and prefers that voters “decide it through state-level ballot measures.” In response to an American Family Association survey, he said he believes abortion should be allowed only to save the life of a patient.

Pennsylvania

Doug Mastriano (Governor)
Before: Mastriano sponsored a bill in 2019 that would ban abortion in the state at around six weeks. When pressed, he said abortion seekers should be charged with murder under that legislation.
Now: Mastriano has not responded to news outlets asking if he still holds that belief. He has committed to pushing abortion restrictions, saying, “I look forward to signing into law either [a] heartbeat bill or the fetal pain bill.”

Dr. Mehmet Oz (Senate)
Before: Oz said at a May campaign event that he believes life begins at conception and that abortion is “still murder” at any stage of pregnancy, according to The Daily Beast.
Now: Oz moderated that stance in an interview with a local news outlet, saying he is “pro-life” with “three exceptions: life of the mother, rape, and incest.” He refused to say if he would vote for a proposed national 15-week abortion ban, saying, “I’m going to be very hesitant to having the federal government do anything around abortion.”

Lisa Scheller (PA-07)
Before: Scheller said in a primary debate that she would vote against protecting abortion rights nationally and is open to a bill banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. Her campaign website previously said she would “protect the right to life and always oppose taxpayer-funded abortions.”
Now: Scheller has removed any mention of abortion from her website. “I am pro-life,” she told a local newspaper in October, “but I believe in exceptions for rape and incest and health of the mother. I think sending the legislation back to the states to let local people decide what they want to do is appropriate.”

Jim Bognet (PA-08)
Bognet’s campaign told a local paper that he opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, or to save a patient’s life.

Jeremy Shaffer (PA-17)
Before: Shaffer’s website states that he supports a “pro-life policy that allows for exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest” at the state level. He told a local news outlet he would not vote for a proposed national abortion ban at around six weeks of pregnancy as it lacks rape and incest exceptions.
Now: Shaffer released an ad in October that co-opts the language of abortion rights. “Being married to a physician, Jeremy knows the importance of decisions between patients and their doctors,” his wife says in the ad. “As a father of four daughters, Jeremy will stand up for women’s health care.”

Rhode Island

Allan Fung (RI-02)
Fung told Axios he would not support “any type of national ban or criminalization of abortion until the end.” He added that while he doesn’t support abortions later in pregnancy, “I would allow them in the instance of life of the mother, rape, or incest.”

Texas

Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
De La Cruz supported Texas’s passing a law banning abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy. After the Dobbs decision, she applauded returning “the authority to protect the unborn to the people’s elected representatives in the states.”

Cassy Garcia (TX-28)
Garcia told a local newspaper that she believes “abortion should be limited and that human life should be cherished.” She added that she supports allowing exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the patient.

Mayra Flores (TX-34)
While in Congress, Flores co-sponsored a national 20-week abortion ban and a bill that would give legal protections to fetuses and embryos from the moment of fertilization.

Virginia

Jennifer Kiggans (VA-02)
Before: Kiggans said in September that banning abortion after 15 weeks would be a “commonsense” restriction but would not say whether she would vote for a proposed national ban.
Now: Kiggans said in an October debate that there has “never been a push from me to ban or make abortion illegal.” She said she supports exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the patient.

Yesli Vega (VA-07)
Before: In a local primary-candidate survey, Vega said she supports “a law to protect innocent life from conception to natural death.” Regarding her response to a question about rape victims and abortion, Axios obtained audio in which Vega appeared to doubt that rape could result in pregnancy.
Now: Vega has since denied making the comments about rape. She also told the Washington Post that she wasn’t familiar with a proposed national 15-week abortion ban or a bill that would give legal rights to fetuses.

Washington

Joe Kent (WA-03)
Kent told a local paper that he supports parts of a proposed national 15-week abortion ban. He also denied that terminating a pregnancy to save a patient’s life would be considered an abortion and suggested that he opposed allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest.

Matt Larkin (WA-08)
Before: Larkin suggested during the primary that he would support Congress voting to ban abortion nationally, according to the Washington Post. He also said he opposed allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest.
Now: Larkin has moderated that stance by refusing to say whether he would vote for a national abortion ban.

Wisconsin

Tim Michels (Governor)
Before: Michels said in a June interview that an 1849 Wisconsin law that made abortion a felony in the state is “an exact mirror of my position.” He said he would not make exceptions for incest or rape.
Now: Michels appeared to moderate that stance in October. He suggested he would not enforce that same law, saying, “I will never arrest a doctor, as they’re saying — I’m a reasonable guy.” A campaign spokesperson later walked back Michels’s comment.

Ron Johnson (Senate)
Johnson co-sponsored a national 20-week abortion ban and voted against a bill that would codify abortion rights nationally. His campaign referred the Cut to a post that says he supports allowing abortion in cases of incest, rape, or to save the life of a patient and would oppose “ANY penalty being imposed on mothers.”

Derrick Van Orden (WI-03)
Van Orden told a local paper that he believes life begins at conception and compared the number of abortions in the U.S. to a “genocide.” He opposes rape and incest exceptions and supports granting fetuses legal rights, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.