GOP nominee for Kansas governor tries to flip abortion issue

ABCNews

By John Hanna
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, right, the Republican nominee for governor, makes a point during a debate as Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly watches at the Kansas State Fair, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Hutchinson, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

The Republican candidate for Kansas governor tried Saturday to make the Democratic incumbent's support for abortion rights a political liability, even with a strong statewide vote last month in favor of preserving access to abortion.

GOP nominee Derek Schmidt, a three-term Kansas attorney general, said during a debate at the Kansas State Fair that he respects the Aug. 2 vote, in which voters decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to greatly restrict or ban abortion. But he argued that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly favors abortion with no restrictions “up to the moment of birth" and public funding for elective abortions.

The statewide vote “does not mean the discussion has ended," Schmidt told a crowd of about 800 people.

“What was not on the ballot was Gov. Kelly's position,” he said.

Publish : 2022-09-11 12:28:00

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