GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany declined to say if he still backs a six-week ban on abortion like the one he co-sponsored in Congress, telling WisPolitics he supports the state law he voted for while in the Legislature barring the procedure after 20 weeks.
Tiffany, R-Minocqua, also declined to say whether he would sign a bill that would restrict abortion at earlier than 20 weeks in a pregnancy, instead restating his support for the 2015 law signed by then-Gov. Scott Walker. Tiffany voted for the 20-week ban while in the state Senate.
GOP state lawmakers in early 2024 proposed legislation that would ask voters whether to ban abortions after 14 weeks. Asked about such a restriction and the bill he co-sponsored, Tiffany focused on the ban after 20 weeks, saying “I stand by that bill” and he’d uphold it as guv.
“I mean, this was a product of compromise,” Tiffany said. “You remember the debate. There were people that said there should be unlimited abortions. Some said there should be no abortions at all. We came together with a compromise. I’ve talked to a lot of constituents, friends and relatives about this issue, and it’s a really deeply personal issue, and I think we hit the place of compromise 10 years ago. It’s the law in Wisconsin. I’m going to uphold it.”
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Tiffany in the 2021-22 congressional session co-sponsored legislation that proposed making it a crime to perform an abortion after determining if there is a fetal heartbeat, which occurs around 6 weeks. It included an exception to save the life of the mother, but not for rape or incest.
The abortion issue dogged GOP guv nominee Tim Michels in 2022 as he said a now overturned 1849 law banning the procedure except to save a mother’s life was the “exact mirror” of his stance. He later said in the campaign that he’d sign a bill with exceptions for rape or incest, which was seen as an attempt to soften his position in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the right to an abortion.
The campaigns of Tiffany’s GOP rivals Bill Berrien, a southeastern Wisconsin businessman, and Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
A state Dem Party spokesperson said after Tiffany co-sponsored the six-week ban in Congress, “we know as governor if given the chance he’d sign that bill into law. Wisconsinites will see this for exactly what it is: bullshit.”
Tiffany did a round of media interviews yesterday after formally launching his bid Tuesday. He also said he will paint a clear contrast for Wisconsin voters next year with “bold colors,’’ adding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will play a role in turning out conservative voters next year.
Republicans have struggled to get backers of President Donald Trump to the polls when he hasn’t been on the ballot over the past decade, and Tiffany argued he is best positioned to do that. Mentioning Kirk, Tiffany said his campaign will be on college campuses looking to engage students.
“I don’t know that people our age fully understand how much they embrace the message of hope, opportunity, faith, family that Charlie Kirk embodied, but I think that’s going to have a real impact in this next election,” Tiffany said.
