EXCLUSIVE – A new digital ad from Rep. Ruben Gallego’s (D-AZ) Senate campaign is targeting Republican rival Kari Lake on abortion two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, scrapping constitutional protections for abortion.
The statewide ad from the Arizona Democrat claims Lake wants to “ban abortion” and shows a compilation of clips from the Republican hopeful, including one in which she appears to say she’s “so happy” about the high court’s landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
A later clip in the ad shows Lake explaining she’s against the procedure and that she’ll never “ever change that stance” or “bend on that stance.”
“You will not mess with women’s rights, especially not in Arizona,” Gallego says at the end of the ad.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Lake’s campaign for comment on the new ad.
Lake has attempted to thread the needle on abortion following the revival of the state’s Civil War-era abortion ban, which the Arizona Supreme Court ruled was enforceable following the demise of Roe. The state’s legislature later voted to repeal the ban after a few failed attempts, reverting the state to a 15-week ban. The repeal was signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in May.
Following the Arizona state ruling, Lake came out against the 1864 abortion ban and released an over five-minute video on social media emphasizing the law is not what the people of her state want and reiterating that she would not support a federal ban if she is elected to the U.S. Senate.
However, that stance was a change from the anti-abortion rhetoric she embraced in her 2022 failed campaign for governor. Lake said in a 2022 interview on “The Conservative Circus With James T. Harris,” that she was “incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that’s already on the books.”
Gallego’s new ad, which comes two months after he released a different one on abortion, is part of a broader push by Democrats linking former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to the Dobbs decision.
Advocates in the state are working to create their own ballot measures to codify abortion rights until the point of fetal viability, or around 24 weeks. The measure would also allow exceptions later in pregnancy when health concerns are involved. Democrats hope those measures could boost turnout at the ballot box.
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Gallego has held a consistent lead over Lake, the leading Republican Senate candidate, in recent polling. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, changed its prediction from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat” recently in the race to replace retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.