September 8, 2022/Media, Press

REMINDER: NC Republicans Continue Lying About Their Extreme Abortion Records

Following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, North Carolina Republican congressional candidates, including Bo Hines and Chris Castelli, have been exposed for backtracking their unpopular, extremist abortion records – going as far as deleting their extreme positions off of campaign websites.

Now, North Carolina legislative candidates E.C. Sykes, Mark Cavaliero, and Brian Echevarria have been called out for attempting to soften their stance on abortion and are continuing to prove they’re willing to say anything to get elected.

They’re not fooling anyone: “It’s up to voters whether to believe what Republicans are saying. But actions speak volumes, and North Carolina Republicans have shown they will not protect access to abortion — they’ve sought to limit it at every turn.”

Read more:

News & Observer: NC Republicans are suddenly trying to sound reasonable on abortion. Don’t believe it.

  • For many Republicans, the overturning of Roe v. Wade was the ultimate victory — the realization of a goal they’ve spent their entire political careers trying to accomplish. Now, it’s dawning on them that their personal triumph may lead to political failure.
  • Suddenly, the GOP has adopted a more conciliatory tone in an attempt to convince voters that there’s room for conversation and compromise. They expect North Carolinians to believe they might take a softer line — or at least negotiate in good faith on the matter — despite all evidence to the contrary.
  • In Senate District 18, which encompasses northern Wake and Granville counties, it’s hard to tell where Republican E.C. Sykes stands. Sykes told the Charlotte Observer that lawmakers should “listen to the voice of the people and understand exactly where they think a fair boundary line is.” But in a questionnaire from the North Carolina Values Coalition, a pro-life organization, Sykes said he believes abortion “should be outlawed in all situations.”
  • Mark Cavaliero, the “proudly pro-life” candidate in Senate District 17, says he supports “reasonable restrictions” on abortion but insists he wouldn’t vote to ban it completely. Good luck figuring out what those “reasonable” restrictions are, though, because he doesn’t really specify. He won’t say whether he’d break with his party to oppose a total ban on abortion, either.
  • It’s up to voters whether to believe what Republicans are saying. But actions speak volumes, and North Carolina Republicans have shown they will not protect access to abortion — they’ve sought to limit it at every turn.

Charlotte Observer: CLT Politics: Republican changes tone on abortion in one of NC’s tightest House races

  • In February, Echevarria’s website said abortion was “act of genocide in our nation.” By late May, his website said abortion “may be the greatest atrocity of our generation.” Now, that acrimonious language is absent.
  • On abortion, his website now says things such as: “North Carolinians believe women have a right to their bodies, and babies have a right to theirs; Extreme positions like late-term abortion and abortion on demand are rejected handily by Americans; No woman should be denied a life-saving procedure in North Carolina.”
  • Nothing has changed. I’m pro-life,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see the change of language as a “softening.” I asked whether he still sees abortion as a genocide. “I don’t know how else to describe it,” he said.
  • Williams, the Democratic nominee, told me Echevarria is trying to walk back the language for political gain. “My opponent saw the writing on the wall just like all other Republican candidates in the country and in the state,” she said, adding the Echevarria is “trying to backtrack on what his true, unpopular, extreme views are just to get elected.”

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