and housing affordability. Abortion does not even register as a


top issue among the voters considered most upset by the Dobbs decision. “Most pro-abortion rights voters


who aren’t already partisan Democrats do not prioritize the issue, and pro- abortion rights Republicans won’t des- ert the nominee over it,” Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told Newsmax. “The polls show that abortion does


not rank highly when voters are asked what the most important issue is,” explained the author of several criti- cally acclaimed books on U.S. politics. “The economy and inflation are far and away the top issue, especially for independents.”


BIDEN THE BIG ISSUE With the 2024 election nearing, voter nervousness about the economy is strongly linked to nervousness about Joe Biden. The oldest president in U.S. history


at 81, and one who would be 86 at the completion of a second term, Biden is increasingly perceived as having seri- ous limitations on his performance in office. A CNN poll in September found


that 73% of Americans are seriously concerned that his age could negatively


affect his physical and mental compe- tence. The “age” or “Biden” issue is one


that easily overtakes any concerns about what Republicans in power might do about abortion. “I think this election is mostly about


age and infirmity considerations and the economy,” Liz Mair, president of Mair Strategies consultancy, told us. “But abortion does add something


to the mix, and as of right now, it ben- efits Democrats a lot more than Repub- licans,” the self-described pro-choice Republican said. “My question is, does it benefit them


enough to save a very flawed, super-old guy who is overseeing an economy that a ton of people think is really, really crappy?” The other issue likely to ensure


abortion is not a problem for Republi- cans is the flood of illegal immigrants coming over the border almost daily. Donald Trump and just about every Republican presidential hopeful has vowed to come down hard on this issue — by closing the border and deporting those already in the U.S. illegally. Coupling the border crisis and tremulous economy with the findings of a recent Monmouth University poll showing Biden at a record-low approv- al rating of 34% nationwide, Missis-


One issue likely to ensure abortion is not a problem for Republicans is the flood of illegal immigrants coming over the border almost daily.


sippi radio host Gerard Gibert tells Newsmax that “this all adds up to abor- tion effectively being a nonissue, in my view, in the 2024 election cycle.”


GOP RESPONSE The Republican Party’s platform has included a strong pro-life plank from 1980 until 2000 (when there was no plank). And every time the GOP has fielded


a strong pro-life candidate for presi- dent, they have won: Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump. A key reason is the Republican Party


does not have the unions that make up the activist backbone of the Democratic Party. But the GOP does have activist evan-


gelicals and traditional Catholics, who have become the party’s grassroots. Turn them off and the GOP is sure


to lose. Just ask Mitt Romney how that works.


According to a Pew survey, 82%


of Republicans identify as Christian, with 38% identifying as evangelicals and 21% as Catholics. Staying on message with these


groups will be critical when the GOP’s yet-to-be-selected platform committee meets this coming summer in Milwau- kee to write the party’s platform. The party will likely affirm its


strong pro-life stance, but also under- score heavily that the issue of abortion is now a state rather than federal issue. Former Rep. Bob Livingston told


us that “with so many other problems foisted on us by the Biden adminis- tration — whether the border crisis, inflation, crime, a ‘woke’ military, or threats to world peace caused by weak foreign policy — abortion will rank as a minor problem in most states.” However, the Louisiana Republi-


can said, “Republicans can reener- gize it as a significant issue if they forget that Right to Life supporters fought 50 years to remove the nation- al dictate of Roe v. Wade; they should not try to reimpose a more restrictive national standard. It should remain a state issue.”


FEBRUARY 2024 | NEWSMAX 41


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