Republican hardliners trying to bury their anti-abortion stances

Apr. 14—The season of self-censorship and retreating is upon us. Two Republican candidates who once spoke out for anti-abortion laws are ducking for cover as elections approach.

Edgewood Mayor Ken Brennan voted for a town ordinance to block abortion medication or supplies from being distributed by mail.

Now running for a seat in the state House of Representatives, Brennan makes no mention of abortion in his platform.

"When we wrote it up, we thought we shouldn't include it," Brennan told me.

He said he was counseled on campaign strategy by fellow Republicans.

Another Republican, Elizabeth Winterrowd of Organ, spoke against abortion in her first campaign for the Legislature in 2022.

Defeated in a close race by Democratic Rep. Willie Madrid of Chaparral, Winterrowd has silenced herself on the issue as she runs again in Southern New Mexico's District 53. She lists four planks on her campaign platform, none of which mention abortion.

"I just haven't put it on any of my literature," Winterrowd said in a phone interview.

Asked why she no longer highlights her anti-abortion position, Winterrowd said she was pressed for time and couldn't immediately discuss her campaign. She asked me to phone her again in a few hours. My follow-up calls to her went to voicemail.

Winterrowd later sent me a text message: "While the news media in this state has sensationalized issues like abortion as 'top issues,' the average New Mexican is worrying about their children's safety and how much they're paying at the gas pump. My top concerns are aligned with the issues that are affecting every New Mexican every day."

Winterrowd in early 2022 condemned Madrid for what she claimed was a vote approving abortion. In fact, abortion at the time was legal nationwide.

The vote Madrid cast was to repeal a dormant but dangerous 1969 state law criminalizing abortion. A bill for the repeal cleared the Legislature in 2021 and was signed by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Any sensationalizing of the issue came from the state Republican Party and its chairman, "Amarillo" Steve Pearce.

Then-Rep. Phelps Anderson, R-Roswell, joined most Democrats in voting to repeal the anti-abortion law, fearing it might take effect if federal law changed. Pearce immediately called on Anderson to resign from the House of Representatives.

Anderson refused, and instead quit the Republican Party. He served out his term as an independent while Republican leaders hissed at him.

Fifteen months later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that had legalized abortion nationally. The latest ruling gave state legislatures control over abortion, creating a patchwork of laws.

Abortion remains legal in New Mexico, a circumstance that rankled several city and county governments near the state's border with Texas. They approved boilerplate ordinances connected to the Comstock Act of 1873. That antiquated federal measure prohibited the mailing of lewd, filthy or indecent devices and materials.

The mayor and town commissioners of Edgewood, population 6,200, joined the copycat movement a year ago. Brennan was part of the majority that voted 4-1 to prohibit the mailing of goods that could be used for abortions.

Several hundred Edgewood residents signed petitions seeking a referendum to overturn the ordinance. The proposal has stalled, but Brennan said Edgewood's government is working to fix technical problems with the ballot question so a vote can be held.

Brennan is mute on abortion in his campaign for the District 50 seat in the House of Representatives. He is running against Wendy Lossing in the June 4 Republican primary.

The winner will face Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, in the general election. McQueen voted to repeal the state law criminalizing abortion.

After sidestepping the now politically worrisome issue of abortion, Brennan attacked McQueen. "Everybody I've talked to says he's arrogant," Brennan said.

I've never heard anyone call McQueen arrogant in the nine years he's been a state lawmaker. More important, McQueen hasn't run from his positions or abandoned his principles because it's an election year.

Brennan's platform includes generic planks such as "supporting law enforcement" and "defending our veterans." The idea is to offend no one and hope for a low turnout of Democrats.

Neither Brennan nor Winterrowd would hesitate to speak against abortion if they were in bright-red districts. But to appeal to a more diverse electorate, they hope to bury an issue they once discussed with gusto.

Brennan told me as mayor and perhaps as a state legislator his only interest is in helping people.

"The one thing I'm not is a true politician," Brennan said.

How about a false politician? Who else would waste a town's resources and rile many of its residents over an issue he's now intent on avoiding?

Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.