Reno — The wife of a Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate talked up about her abortion before they met and her long path of remorse and healing last month, and many Republicans praised it as a more compassionate approach to a subject that has wounded GOP candidates at the ballot box
Democrats nationwide view abortion rights as crucial to their chances in November, from the presidency to the ballot. Sam Brown's changing stance on abortion, particularly his decision to publicly revisit his wife Amy's story and oppose a national abortion ban, suggests how complicated the abortion rights debate could become for GOP candidates
The Browns' story may affect a June 11 Nevada primary for a GOP pickup opportunity. Abortion might also determine who controls the U.S. Senate, where Democrats have a 51-49 majority but many more seats at stake this year. In a state where voters secured abortion rights through a referendum, Nevada Republicans say Brown's awareness of reproductive healthcare is evident. They think it illustrates a gray area many Republican women feel goes beyond abortion rights “yes” or “no” answers.
“I really resent people immediately putting all Republicans in one big basket,” Nevada Republican Club president Pauline Ng Lee said.Nevada Republicans oppose repealing state protections, unlike Texas and South Carolina. She also thinks the Browns' statement removes abortion access, a Democratic issue, “off the table” in the Senate contest.
Brown, sitting beside his wife, Amy, as she told NBC News her story, argued that abortion should be given to the states. If elected senator, he will oppose a federal abortion restriction and support Nevada's statute, which provides the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks, the Roe v. Wade standard.
Brown urged compassion, support, and information for women facing difficult decisions, referencing his wife's 20s experience in Texas 16 years ago.In June, Brown is in a tough GOP Senate race in Nevada. He never explained how he reconciles the story that inspired his policy stance with its present implications. Texas ladies now lack his wife's 2008 alternatives.
Before Nevada, they lived in Texas, which bans most abortions with rare circumstances. Since the Supreme Court rejected abortion almost two years ago, 14 Republican-led states have prohibited all abortions.
Sam Brown avoided abortion rights in last month's interview, but he changed his mind. In July 2021, his campaign website claimed that it was “in our American interest that we protect the lives of unborn babies just as we would protect the life of any other American.”
Brown's 2014 Texas Legislature opponent, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, often emphasizes Brown's support for Texas' 20-week abortion ban. No rape or mother's health exceptions were included, which Brown told NBC he would support.
Rosen's campaign highlights Brown's 2022 Nevada Senate questionnaire, which proposed banning abortion except in life-threatening maternal sickness. Brown's campaign claimed a staffer prepared the questionnaire without permission. In a 2022 primary Senate debate against former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, he said abortion should be left to the states, but “if there was any sort of legislation that would come forward, I would want to see that specific language.”
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