Karl Rove: Texas Abortion Ban is ‘Extremist’ and Will ‘Create a Real Problem for Republicans in the Legislature Next Year’

Karl Rove described Texas’ abortion ban as a liability for the party at the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival (“TribFest”) Saturday, calling it “extremist” and predicting it would create trouble for the Republicans in the state legislature in the upcoming 2023 session.

Rove, the former Deputy Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush, was on a TribFest panel with Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary for President Barack Obama, moderated by Tribune CEO and co-founder Evan Smith.

The current law in Texas bans abortions without exception for rape and incest, a “trigger law” that was passed during the 2021 session. According to a report by the Tribune’s Patrick Svitek, the strict nature of the bill has the support of “very few voters,” and “the law has complicated an election cycle that has been trending in Republicans’ favor on other issues.”

Smith asked Rove about the Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, and brought up Kansas, where voters had rejected a ballot measure that would have removed language from the state constitution that protected abortion rights. (Smith also pondered out loud whether the repeal of Roe had been a factor in Sarah Palin losing her congressional race: “I don’t know if we can say that Sarah Palin lost in Alaska because of abortion; she may have lost because of Sarah Palin.”)

The Kansas referendum was “an extremist measure on abortion,” said Rove.

“Define ‘extremist,'” said Smith.

“Essentially, no abortion, no exceptions,” said Rove.

“So, you mean the Texas bill?” asked Smith.

“Exactly, right,” said Rove.

“Do you think Texas is too extremist?” asked Smith.

“Yeah, I do,” Rove replied. “I think it’s gonna create a real problem for Republicans in the Legislature next year when they have to deal with it.”

The Texas Legislature meets every other year, in odd-numbered years, and the next one will begin Jan. 10, 2023. Speaker of the Texas House Dale Phelan (R) was on a TribFest panel Friday and talked about revisiting the abortion ban. Another long-serving From the Tribune’s Sneha Dey:

In a wide-ranging discussion with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, Phelan said the House might revise the law that criminalizes abortion. Phelan said he has heard from House members who are concerned the law has no exceptions for rape or incest.

Physicians have also told Phelan the ban has complicated medical care for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages, he said. Treatments for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are still legal under the state’s abortion ban, but confusion has led some providers to delay or deny care for patients in Texas. Phelan said he was unclear about how the House would vote on adding exceptions to the abortion ban.

Texas State Sen. Robert Nichols (R) also voiced support for allowing exceptions for rape.

The full panel with Rove and Gibbs can be viewed below, or a short clip of just the abortion comment is above.

Watch the videos above, via Texas Tribune. Follow Mediaite’s coverage of TribFest here.