Klobuchar: ‘We need to build a big tent’ for anti-abortion Democrats

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Tuesday said that the Democratic Party should be a “big tent” for people of different beliefs, including those who oppose abortion rights.

Klobuchar, who is running as a centrist candidate and alternative to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), said while she is “pro-choice” but she doesn’t think the party should shut out Democrats who disagree.

“There are pro-life Democrats, and they are part of our party, and I think we need to build a big tent,” she said.

“I think we need to bring people in instead of shutting them out.”

.@MeghanMcCain on @TheView: “Do you think there’s room for pro-life Democrats to vote for you?”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar: “I”m strongly pro-choice. I have always been pro-choice, but I believe we’re a big tent party … I think we need to bring people in …” https://t.co/ECpbtTFzQB pic.twitter.com/xMgs6zTE9C

— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2020

Klobuchar and other Democratic presidential candidates have vowed to reverse the Trump administration’s anti-abortion policies and to only appoint judges that support Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that established a woman’s right to abortion. 

While every Democrat running for president supports abortion rights, the general public is still divided on the issue, with many polls showing that majorities support some restrictions on the procedure.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in December, 15 percent of Democrats surveyed consider themselves “pro-life” while 84 percent said they are “pro-choice.” 

Top-tier candidate and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg received a question on the issue from an anti-abortion Democrat at a Fox News town hall last month. 

“I respect where you’re coming from, and I hope to earn your vote, but I’m not going to try to earn your vote by tricking you. I am pro-choice,” Buttigieg said.

“I know that the difference of opinion that you and I have is one that we have come by honestly and the best that I can offer, and it may win your vote and if not, I understand — if we can’t agree on where to draw the line, the next best thing we can do is agree on who should draw the line, and in my view, it’s the woman who’s faced with that decision,” he said.

Supporting abortion rights is a key part of the Democratic National Committee’s platform. Campaign groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have faced pressure from progressives to stop supporting Democrats who oppose abortion rights. 

The Democratic Attorneys General Association announced in November it would only endorse candidates that support abortion access.