DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican front-runner George W. Bush yesterday insisted “no one’s pushing me around” on the abortion issue as he stakes out stronger right-to-life positions for today’s Iowa caucuses.
There has been speculation that GOP rival Steve Forbes, ardently courting right-to-life conservatives, has pushed Bush to take positions that could hurt him later with moderate, pro-choice GOP women.
“No, not at all. I ran as a pro-life candidate. I’ve been a pro-life governor. No one’s pushing me around,” Bush told reporters after attending church here.
“I’m a candidate who has run consistently [pro-life] throughout this primary and I’ll run the same kind of campaign in the general election.”
Iowa has one of the nation’s strongest right-to-life movements — 60 percent of GOPers likely to go to today’s caucuses are pro-life.
Over the past week, Bush has said the Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion was “a reach,” pledged to appoint “strict constructionalists” to the high court, and vowed to keep the GOP platform’s pro-life plank.
That’s a sharp switch in tone from the start of Bush’s campaign when he stressed he wouldn’t have an abortion “litmus test.”
Bush yesterday said his own state of Texas would probably ban all abortions — including those in the first three months of pregnancy — if the Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion is ever overturned.
When Forbes ran for president in 1996, he drew right-wing ire for taking a moderate stance on abortion — but this time it’s the central issue in his campaign and the focus of a TV ad, plus an anti-Bush radio attack ad.
All six GOP 2000 contenders are right-to-life. Both Democrats Al Gore and Bill Bradley are pro-choice.