Democrats are attacking Republican candidate Dave McCormick’s previous abortion place within the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race, arguing he helps abortion restrictions in all instances.
“Dave McCormick is absolutely towards abortion,” a Fb and Instagram advert from WinSenate, a Democratic political motion committee, stated.
Equally to advertisements we’ve seen towards McCormick and different Republican Senate candidates, this advert focuses on the candidate’s place from a earlier political race. The advert makes use of statements from when McCormick ran for the 2022 Republican nomination for Senate and ignores his present place in his race towards Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey.
Neither WinSenate nor the Senate Majority PAC, an affiliated PAC and the only real supply of WinSenate’s funding, returned a request for remark.
Totally different advertisements from WinSenate cite a 2022 Axios article because the supply of the “absolutely towards abortion” language. The article, which particulars that yr’s Senate candidates’ abortion positions, paraphrased McCormick’s response in a Republican major debate in 2022. The article’s writer wrote: “David McCormick — who’s going through a heated major together with his Trump-backed opponent, Mehmet Oz — stated throughout a debate in Harrisburg final month he is absolutely towards all eventualities involving abortion, other than ‘within the very uncommon cases there ought to be exceptions for the lifetime of the mom.’”
Throughout that 2022 debate, the moderator requested McCormick whether or not he believes there ought to be exceptions to abortion legal guidelines for rape, incest and when the pregnant lady’s life is in danger. McCormick stated he believes in “very uncommon cases there ought to be exceptions for lifetime of the mom.” He didn’t point out assist for exceptions in instances of rape and incest.
In the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, although, McCormick has softened his abortion place and stated if elected, he would oppose a nationwide abortion ban if it had been proposed. He stated in an Oct. 3 debate that he helps exceptions to abortion legal guidelines for rape, incest and the mom’s life.
“I assist the three exceptions,” he stated. “I’d not favor an abortion ban of any form, laws to assist a nationwide abortion.”
He stated throughout that debate he believes abortion legal guidelines ought to be left as much as every state. Pennsylvania legislation permits abortion till round 24 weeks of being pregnant, and after that if a pregnant lady’s well being is endangered. The Pennsylvania legislation additionally requires parental notifications for minors looking for abortions and a 24-hour ready interval for all ladies looking for abortions.
McCormick took extra absolute stance earlier than
McCormick took a extra absolute antiabortion stance in 2022 when campaigning for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat Democrat John Fetterman now holds. His 2022 marketing campaign web site stated he was “staunchly pro-life and believes life begins at conception.” It additionally stated he’ll “proceed to advocate for the rights of the unborn.” It didn’t clearly state a place on an abortion ban.
Elsewhere on the 2022 marketing campaign path, McCormick expressed assist for altering abortion legal guidelines. He stated at an occasion that yr, “We have now to vary the legislation on life, however greater than ever we’ve got to vary the tradition,” in line with an X submit from liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
McCormick instructed Fox Information in 2022, after the leaked U.S. Supreme Court docket’s draft choice to overturn the federal abortion protections below Roe v. Wade, that overturning Roe “can be an enormous step ahead and an enormous victory for the safety of life.”
Although McCormick didn’t point out assist for rape or incest exceptions in his 2022 debate reply, his marketing campaign has argued he supported these exceptions throughout that marketing campaign. It additionally gave us an audio clip from a February 2022 occasion earlier than the first debate wherein he stated he supported these exceptions.
Within the audio clip, McCormick responded to an viewers member’s query and stated, “I do settle for three exceptions, those you simply stated. Rape, incest and the lifetime of the mom.”
Our ruling
A Democratic PAC advert stated McCormick “is absolutely towards abortion.”
Throughout a 2022 marketing campaign, McCormick took a extra absolute antiabortion stance and expressed inconsistent assist for exceptions for rape and incest.
However in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, McCormick has stated he wouldn’t assist a nationwide abortion ban. He stated he believes abortion legal guidelines ought to be left for states to resolve, and they need to embrace exceptions for rape, incest and the pregnant lady’s life.
Though the declare comprises a component of reality primarily based on McCormick’s previous positions, it doesn’t mirror his present place. We price it Principally False.