Haley: Republicans need to be ‘honest’ about abortion

In the wake of a brutal round of elections for anti-abortion advocates, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley emphasized at Wednesday night's presidential debate that Republicans need to be "honest" about the country's appetite for abortion restrictions.

In response to a question from NBC moderator Kristen Welker about how Republicans should address abortion, Haley said that it's up to the states to decide how they handle abortion rights. But she noted that Republicans pushing for a federal abortion ban are not being forthright about the feasibility of passing such legislation, as it would need 60 Senate votes.

“As much as I'm pro-life, I don't judge anyone for being pro-choice, and I don't want them to judge me for being pro-life,” she said. “Let's find consensus. … We don't need to divide America over this issue anymore.”

Haley's response — striking in its modesty compared to other harder-line stances from GOP rivals like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — came on the heels of Ohio's overwhelming passage of a referendum Tuesday codifying abortion rights in the state constitution. Now, with anti-abortion forces reeling after a string of defeats at the state level, Haley is attempting to plot a more compromising path forward for her party.

The Ohio referendum wasn't the only win for abortion rights on Tuesday. Virginia Democrats won full control of the state legislature based on campaigns that centered on abortion rights, blocking Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's hopes of passing legislation that would restrict access to abortion.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also said that the issue should be decided on a state-by-state basis, and candidates should not “short-circuit states from doing what they need to do.”

Others candidates took a more traditional GOP position. Scott reiterated his support for a 15-week federal abortion ban. When prompted whether she would support such legislation, Haley said that she would “support anything that would pass” and would “get 60 Senate votes.”

"Let's bring people together and decide what we can agree on," Haley said. “But don't make the American people think that you're going to push something on them when we don't even have the votes in the Senate."

Republicans have struggled with their messaging on abortion, especially since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Before the debate on Wednesday, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, who has been getting heat for the GOP losses on Tuesday, called again for Republicans to engage on the issue.

“We cannot ignore abortion,” McDaniel said on the “Ruthless” podcast. “We cannot cross-advertise and run only crime ads and then the Democrats run abortion ads and then we sit and pretend like that’s not being discussed.”