The head of the Republican National Committee says GOP candidates will have to take the abortion issue “head on” in the coming election cycle after Democrats used the issue effectively during the midterms.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said independents in places like Michigan and Pennsylvania did not break toward the GOP in 2022, thwarting a red wave.

She faulted the lack of clarity from her side about the correct course of action following the Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state-based limits on abortion.

“The guidance we’re going to give to our candidates is you have to address this head-on,” Ms. McDaniel told “Fox News Sunday.” “The Democrats spent $360 million on this and many of our candidates across the board refused to talk about it, thinking, ‘Oh, we can just talk about the economy and ignore this big issue.’ And they can’t.”

Democrats were furious over the Supreme Court ruling last year but they swiftly used the issue against their GOP opponents. President Biden and his party have every intention of using abortion rights as a weapon against GOP candidates in 2024.

Democrats are pressuring Republican hopefuls to say whether they support a national ban, a topic that divides the GOP.

A simmering court battle over access to a key abortion pill, mifepristone, is adding fuel to the fire. A Texas judge ruled that the Food and Drug Administration erred in approving the drug more than two decades ago, putting access at risk.

Pro-life Republicans say they need to go on offense by getting Democrats to agree to certain limits on the procedure.

“What abortion is a bad idea to Democrats? Ninth month, eighth month, seventh month? They can’t even articulate an abortion that’s a bad idea,” Ms. McDaniel said. “ I think put them on the defensive and articulate where you stand and that’s going to be that critical message that we have to get out before these — before 2024.”

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.