LETTER: Republicans caught flat-footed on abortion

Abortion caught the GOP flatfooted. Prior to the election, GOP analysts and commentators claimed abortion was far down the list of voter priorities. When Democrat ads started emphasizing abortion, these same analysts and commentators claimed that only the Democratic donors cared, which resulted in the ads.

They were wrong, and the GOP ignored the many dishonest ads stating that Republicans were all against abortion, including terminating pregnancies resulting from rape, incest and that would save women’s lives. It would have been very easy for Republicans to refute these lies and state that all overturning Roe v. Wade did was return the issue to the states. Instead the ads went unanswered, and it turned out abortion was a significant voting factor.

While some blame can go to the individual campaigns, guidance comes from Republican national organizations. There should be some significant soul searching.