Mace says overturning Roe ‘changed the entire electoral environment’ in 2022

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Sunday said the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and let individual states legislate abortion “changed the entire electoral environment” in the 2022 midterms.

“Even though I’m pro-life, I represent a pro-choice district, and I saw the tide change after Roe was overturned. We went [from being] mildly pro-choice to … [a] vast majority of voters being pro-choice after Roe v. Wade. It changed the entire electoral environment in ’22,” Mace said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Mace also said Republicans lost seats they should have won last November and raised concerns that members of the GOP “have not learned our lesson from the midterm election.”

“I mean, some of these groups have gotten so over-the-top and extreme, we need to find a middle ground on this issue. And I have a great pro-life voting record but some of the stances we’ve taken, especially when it comes to rape and incest, protecting the life of a mother, it’s so extreme, the middle — the independent voters, right of center, left of center, they cannot support us,” Mace said.

The congresswoman added that there are “a lot of things that we can do to protect life and not alienate the independent voter,” like improving access to birth control, shoring up adoption services and the foster care system and strengthening OB/GYN care.

“We’re afraid of the issue because we’re afraid of our base, and — but that’s not where the base is.”

Mace’s comments came after a federal judge in Texas ruled against the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, one of two abortion pills approved more than two decades ago. 

The Biden administration appealed the ruling, which allowed the pill to remain available, with some access restrictions. The Supreme Court briefly paused the Texas ruling in order to give justices time to review the administration’s request for an emergency stay.