Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno is dealing with a wave of criticism over his remarks about suburban women and abortion heading into the homestretch of the aggressive race.
Moreno mentioned at a city corridor in Warren County on Friday that many “suburban women” are “single-issue voters” on the subject of abortion. He additionally mentioned it is “a little crazy” that some women over 50 care about abortion entry.
“You know, the left has a lot of single-issue voters,” Moreno mentioned. “Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ … OK. It’s a little crazy, by the way, but — especially for women that are, like, past 50 — I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.’”
NBC affiliate WCMH of Columbus was the primary to report on his feedback and obtained a video of them.
A spokesperson for Moreno downplayed the remarks as a “tongue-in-cheek joke” about his Democratic opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, and the media.
Reagan McCarthy mentioned in a press release, “Bernie was clearly making a tongue-in-cheek joke about how Sherrod Brown and members of the leftwing media like to pretend that the only issue that matters to women voters is abortion.”
Brown, who faces a tricky re-election struggle, responded in a press release, “The people of Ohio think women should have the power to make their own health care decisions, Bernie Moreno thinks he should.”
“As a man over the age of 50, I care deeply about a woman’s right to make health care decisions for herself — for my daughters, my granddaughters, and all Ohio women, regardless of their age,” he added.
Brown, who was first elected in 2006, is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election this year. The seat is considered a top target for Republicans who are vying to win back control of the Senate. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the contest as a “toss up.” Donald Trump won the state in 2016 and 2020.
Even some Republicans joined the chorus of Democrats criticizing Moreno.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley wrote on X: “Are you trying to lose the election? Asking for a friend. #Tonedeaf #DonLemonVibes.”
Maura Gillespie, who was an aide to former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, known as the remark “moronic.”
“I feel as though I’m a broken record, but a woman’s worth is not tied to her womb. And to talk about abortion as if it’s just about one single thing — it’s women’s health,” she mentioned on CNN.
“I think that Republicans will continue to lose on this issue if they undermine women,” she added.
Gillespie mentioned feedback like Moreno’s isolate the voter base he must win Ohio. She pointed to a poll initiative that handed in Ohio in November that protects abortion and reproductive rights in the state.
Abortion has grow to be a salient difficulty in Ohio and nationwide in the 2 years since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Ohio voters in November handed a poll measure enshrining the suitable to abortion care in the state structure. Ballot measures defending abortion entry have handed in a number of states because the Supreme Court ruling and will probably be on the poll in 10 extra in November.
