Wisconsin Democrat Senate candidate Mandela Barnes dodged a question in Thursday night’s debate about whether he supports abortion up to birth.
“Can you clearly state at what point you think life should be protected and what exceptions would you support,” the moderator asked Barnes.
Barnes refused to give a straight answer and instead told a story about a woman he knew who had an abortion.
According to the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, “in questions with the media after the session, Barnes rejected the idea of a timeframe cap where abortion would be banned, whether it is 16 weeks, 20 weeks, or later into a pregnancy.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) answered the same question by suggesting the state should have a referendum on the question.
Johnson also highlighted Barnes’s record on abortion, “which would allow abortion up to the moment of birth.”
On Wednesday, Barnes’s campaign announced a renewed focus on abortion policy, the sixth most important issue in Wisconsin. Inflation and crime are the top two issues.
“A woman’s freedom to choose is absolutely on the ballot this year and this goes beyond party lines,” Barnes told Politico.
Republican National Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) has noted Barnes’s abortion policies are very extreme.
“Mandela Barnes is as liberal as they come. He can try to walk back all his extreme stances, but Wisconsinites know the truth. He is too far Left for the Badger State,” he said in a statement.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.