‘We Got Creamed’: J.D. Vance Drops Lengthy Post-Mortem on Ohio Abortion Measure, Now Favors ‘Exceptions’

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) did not mix words on Wednesday as he admitted “we got creamed” after voters approved an amendment to Ohio’s constitution to enshrine abortion rights.

“For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it,” Vance wrote on Twitter, adding:

Giving up on the unborn is not an option. It’s politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war.

Vance fumed that the voters were forced to choose between two “extreme” positions as the Democrat-backed amendment included few exceptions, while the current law passed by Republicans was too restrictive.

“Ohio’s constitutional amendment, on the ballot as Issue 1, included some of the most protective language for abortion access of any statewide ballot initiative since the Supreme Court’s ruling. Opponents had argued that the amendment would threaten parental rights, allow unrestricted gender surgeries for minors and revive ‘partial birth’ abortions, which are federally banned,” noted the Associated Press of the new amendment.

Vance continued, arguing that the GOP didn’t leave voters with a tenable pro-life option:

First, we got creamed among voters who disliked both Issue 1 and also Ohio’s current law (heartbeat bill). We saw this consistently in polling and in conversations. ‘I don’t like Issue 1, but I’d rather have that extreme than the other extreme.’ This is a political fact, not my opinion.

Second, we have to recognize how much voters mistrust us (meaning elected Republicans) on this issue. Having an unplanned pregnancy is scary. Best case, you’re looking at social scorn and thousands of dollars of unexpected medical bills. We need people to see us as the pro-life party, not just the anti-abortion party.

Vance went on to embrace former President Donald Trump’s position on the issue, which many on the right see as too moderate:

Third, as Donald Trump has said, “you’ve got to have the exceptions.” I am as pro life as anyone, and I want to save as many babies as possible. This is not about moral legitimacy but political reality.

“Give people a heartbeat bill with no exceptions and it loses 65-35. (The reason we didn’t lose 65-35 last night is that some people who hate ‘no exceptions’ restrictions will still refuse to vote for things like Issue 1),” Vance argued.

Vance continued to blast Republicans for poor messaging on the issue and for allowing Democrats to out-fundraise them.

The Ohio Republican later spoke to CNN’s Manu Raju and urged the GOP to embrace a 15-week federal abortion ban with exceptions. “We can’t give into the idea that the federal Congress has no role in this matter,” Vance told CNN, adding, “Because if it doesn’t, then the pro-life movement is basically not going to exist, I think, for the next couple of years.”