Colorado’s top Republican gubernatorial hopeful Heidi Ganahl continues to ignore questions about abortion despite labeling herself as “pro-life,” most recently telling a local reporter that she “hadn’t seen” Texas’ infamous six-week abortion ban and refusing to say whether she’d support a ban in Colorado.
In an Axios Denver story published yesterday, John Frank reports that Ganahl said that she’s “pro-life” but sidestepped questions aiming to clarify her specific position on the issue. Frank reports that Ganahl “would not say whether she supports a ban on abortion in Colorado, and acknowledged she hadn’t looked at the Texas law.”
The law in question, Texas Senate Bill 8, is a near-total ban on abortion with a unique enforcement mechanism that allows any private citizen to sue abortion providers and anyone who aids or abets an abortion. Successful lawsuits are rewarded with a minimum of $10,000. The law has been in effect for over two months, and legal challenges to the law were heard in the U.S. Supreme Court last week. The court has yet to issue a ruling.
RELATED: “What the Supreme Court Battle Over the Texas Abortion Ban Means for Coloradans”
In a radio interview with conservative host Ross Kaminsky on Tuesday, Ganahl implied that Colorado voters aren’t concerned about their abortion rights.
During the interview, Kaminsky asked how Ganahl was preparing to deal with “stupid” questions from reporters, such as “questions about abortion, questions about January 6th, and all of the gotcha questions.”
“Yeah, Ross, I think, you know, some days it feels like as Republicans were running against the media, but uh, no disrespect to you,” she said. “I think you do a great job, but I want to talk about the things that the people of Colorado care about as I’m out in the field and that is our kids’ education.”
Ganahl has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Colorado Times Recorder seeking to clarify details around her anti-abortion views and whether she’d follow suit with other anti-abortion Republican governors who have moved to restrict access. CTR initially reported on Ganahl’s first publicly documented statement on abortion last month.
RELATED: “Heidi Ganahl, CO’s Top Republican Candidate for Gov, Is Anti-Abortion. Here’s Why it Matters.“
Colorado is one of a handful of states across the nation that are considered abortion-access sanctuaries for people in nearby states that heavily restrict the procedure now and are poised to ban it altogether if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade.
Support for abortion rights among Colorado voters is strong, as evidenced by their rejection of four anti-abortion ballot measures in 12 years. Most recently, they turned down a 2020 proposal to ban abortion at 22 weeks. The measure was easily defeated, including by some voters who selected Donald Trump as their choice for president.
The Axios story also details other questions that Ganahl refuses to answer, such as whether she believes the election of President Joe Biden was legitimate or if the events of Jan. 6 could be considered an insurrection.
