GOP presidential hopefuls pursue white evangelical support — while fearing pro-choice voters: report

More than 40 years ago, the late conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) warned that if far-right evangelical fundamentalists seized control of his party, Republicans would be stuck with them. Goldwater called it perfectly. The Religious Right hasn't lost its stranglehold on the Republican Party, and GOP presidential candidates view their support as essential.

In a report published by the Washington Post on June 23, reporters Maeve Reston and Marianne LeVine examine the influence that far-right white evangelicals are having on the 2024 GOP presidential primary — especially when it comes to abortion.

"(Donald Trump)'s courtship of evangelical leaders, as reflected in the two conversations, illustrates the outsize influence Christian conservatives hold in determining the next Republican nominee," Reston and LeVine explain. "It also points to the difficult balance that Trump and other GOP presidential contenders face when it comes to abortion one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Some are seeking to appeal to a base determined to press further in limiting abortion rights, while heading off the kind of general election backlash Republicans faced on the issue in last year's midterms."

The journalists add, "Their positioning will be tested anew starting Friday, (June 23) in appearances at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference in Washington."

In 2022, many Democrats in key swing states aggressively campaigned on abortion rights — and won statewide races. The winners included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania). And earlier this year, liberal Janet Protasiewicz hammered her anti-abortion GOP opponent, Dan Kelly, relentlessly over abortion in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race and won by double digits.

Reston and LeVine observe that some GOP presidential candidates are nervous about pro-choice voters but also fear offending the Religious Right.

"Some evangelical leaders see an opening for a Trump alternative, given his reluctance to publicly commit to a 15-week abortion ban and his statement earlier this year about midterm losses," the reporters observe. "His insistence that future abortion bans should be determined by the states post-Roe sparked a backlash from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which initially, called it a 'morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate.' Trump, who has presented himself to voters as 'the most pro-life President in history,' smoothed over the fracas in a meeting with the group's president and (Sen. Lindsey) Graham, but still did not clarify his view about Graham's proposed 15-week national ban."