Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales was one of the Republicans making the rounds of the Sunday shows this weekend and he was hit with the inevitable question about the recent court rulings impacting the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone. Gonzales angered liberal outlets like The Huffington Post by seemingly “dodging” the question. He said America needed to be having real conversations about other issues that impact everyone, including women, such as border security and inflation. But CNN’s Dana Bash kept hammering away at the question until Gonzales suggested that the House GOP could defund the FDA if the Biden administration won’t “live up to” the ruling made by a judge in Texas.

Rep. Tony Gonzales: "Women have a whole lot more other issues than just abortion. Let's have those real conversations. And let's talk about the other things that are happening in this world." pic.twitter.com/gl6hlIjhGg

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 9, 2023

Gonzales was trying – without much success – to do what more Republicans need to be doing all through the current election cycle. Dana Bash, along with every Democrat in Washington is desperately trying to make the next election all about abortion. A better answer than the one Gonzales provided is necessary, but this only plays in the favor of Joe Biden and the Democrats. As Rick Moran points out at PJ Media, abortion has become a millstone around the neck of the Republican Party. It likely cost the GOP several close races in the midterms and some recent special elections. And it could reverse another red wave next year.

If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool anti-abortion purist, you’re very happy. If you’re a Republican politician in a swing district, not so much.

They’ve been polling on abortion since forever, and the evolution of American attitudes toward the issue of abortion can be clearly tracked here and here. Lately, a significant shift in those polls has occurred and voters are now tilting decisively in favor of permitting abortion in most circumstances.

This shift has taken place after last spring’s Dobbs decision, which left abortion up to individual states.

I’m not suggesting that pro-life conservatives should suddenly rush out and start ordering Planned Parenthood t-shirts, but the reality of the current situation is now impossible to deny. There has been a shift in the political landscape, particularly since the Dobbs decision. And that landscape no longer favors pro-life candidates. Politico could barely contain their glee when discussing “the Republican abortion trap” and some of the latest polling numbers. It’s an issue that really gets Democrats and left-leaning independents up on their hind legs, particularly among women.

It remains true that Democrats are overplaying their hand when they demand legal abortions up to (and in some cases even after) the moment of birth. Less than one-third (29%) of voters hold that view. But a combined 59% said that abortion should be legal in “all or some cases.” Meanwhile, only 10% said abortion should be “illegal in all cases.”

NBC recently ran an analysis on how abortion changes election maps, concluding that abortion is “handing the suburbs to the Democrats.” The recent Wisconsin state supreme court election provides all the proof you should require. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state narrowly, but he only carried 14 of the state’s counties (including the most populous ones which is what carried the Democrats over the finish line). But Protasiewicz, the liberal supreme court justice candidate carried 27 counties, nearly double the number that Biden managed. And the number one issue setting fire to that race was the legality of abortion. And now that new justice will be pushing the state to the hard left on many issues beyond abortion.

This isn’t a discussion over whether abortion should be legal or when it should be banned. This is a simple matter of electoral reality. The Democrats have been devastatingly effective in making every electoral race into a referendum on abortion. And it’s been working for them. When conservatives start giving up seats (and the white house) based on that one issue, they end up losing on all of the other issues as well. Democrats will control the country’s policies on everything from border security to taxes and pediatric transgender treatments.

That’s how things were set up until the GOP narrowly retook the House majority in January and you see how well that was working out for the country. This is a difficult and fraught conversation for many on the right to engage in. But it’s also a reality that will need to be confronted.

With the right approach and continued efforts at public outreach, perhaps the pendulum will once again swing back in the other direction. It’s happened before so it can happen again. But until then we’ll need to keep making solid, rational arguments if we’re to win over the hearts and minds we need. And if you feel so inclined, you can help us do that at Hot Air by signing up for one of our VIP programs. (And you can still save 40% by using the promo code “SAVEAMERICA.”)