Reddy voices 'respect' for Kansas abortion vote in ad as Republican battles Rep. Davids

Republican Prasanth Reddy is leaning into the issue of abortion in the final weeks of his bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids, a last-ditch bid to win over skeptical voters that marks a departure from most GOP candidates, who downplay the subject.

Reddy, a Johnson County physician, in a new ad released Wednesday, tackles the topic of abortion directly after Davids and other Democrats have made reproductive rights a core theme in her campaign to win a fourth term in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District. Davids’ campaign has said Reddy has enthusiastic supporters who oppose abortion rights, while the state Democratic Party this week called Reddy’s views “extreme.”

Kansas voters in 2022 rejected a state constitutional amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to ban abortion just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion. The vote put some Kansas Republicans on the defensive over the issue, especially in Johnson County, the highly-populated core of the 3rd District, where 68% of voters opposed the amendment.

In the ad, Reddy acknowledges the result of the amendment vote.

“Let me be clear: Sharice Davids is lying about me. As a cancer physician, my patients’ wishes come first and I respect the decision Kansas made on abortion over two years ago,” Reddy, dressed in a doctor’s white coat, says to the camera.

“I’m Dr. Prasanth Reddy. I approve this message because I’m running for Congress to secure the border, stop inflation, and keep fentanyl out of our communities, not ban abortion. And that’s the real truth.”

The ad, coming less than three weeks before Election Day, illustrates how abortion has turned from an issue that could reliably produce votes for Republican candidates, to one that has become a liability for the Republican Party in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling eliminating a constitutional right to the procedure.

Candidates across the country have struggled to address the issue, caught between anti-abortion activists who have reliably supported the party and stances on abortion that have become increasingly unpopular. Some, like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, have said they believe the issue is best left to the states to decide.

But their argument is often complicated by federal bills proposed in the past few years that would seek to ban the procedure after a certain number of weeks. Hawley signed on to a 15-week abortion ban shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned, saying he believed there was consensus on banning the procedure after that point.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has been staunchly opposed to abortion rights over the course of his political career, recently told NBC that Republicans would not attempt to pass an abortion ban should they win control of Congress in November.

That’s in line with former President Donald Trump, who appointed key justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. Trump has attempted to reframe his stance on abortion and recently said he would not sign a national abortion ban – after previously saying he wouldn’t rule it out. Trump said he would be “great for women and for reproductive rights” on his social media site.

Democrats, like Davids, have leaned heavily into the issue. Over her past two elections, Davids has courted the support of abortion-rights groups like EMILY’s List while associating herself with efforts to maintain Kansas’ legal protections for the procedure.

Both Davids and the Kansas Democratic Party have repeatedly attacked Reddy for his party’s stance on abortion – attempting to tie him to more extreme voices in the Kansas Republican Party that have pushed for total abortion bans.

“This is one of those things that the difference between me and my opponent on this one is pretty stark, I would say, partly because I’ve always been pretty clear about being — I was a pro-choice candidate and as a legislator,” Davids told The Star’s editorial board in September.

In an August statement, Davids spokesperson Zac Donley said Reddy’s positions were “dangerous for Kansas families. While Reddy claims to support Kansans, his actions and alliances with MAGA extremists who push for a national abortion ban tell a different story.”

Davids seeking 4th term

Davids’ approach appears to be working. While there has been no public polling of the 3rd Congressional District, most political analysts appear to believe the seat will remain with the Democrats.

Davids – who increased her margin of victory in the 2022 midterms despite new district lines that included more Republican voters – has raised nearly $3 million more than Reddy over the course of the campaign.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a political action committee associated with House Republican Leadership, has highlighted Reddy’s campaign, but it has not invested in the race in the final weeks of the election in the way it has for candidates in other competitive districts.

Even if Reddy loses, his direct-to-camera message on abortion may stand out for breaking the mold of how Republican candidates have typically addressed the issue over the past two years. While Reddy and other Republicans have given similar answers previously when asked about abortion, it’s unusual to broadcast those positions in ads.

Almost a year ago, Reddy made a very similar comment when speaking about the 2022 amendment vote. In an interview with The Star in October 2023, Reddy said Kansans had “made their voices clear and I will always respect that.”

He made similar comments again when he met with The Star’s editorial board last month, saying “I do believe we should respect the will of Kansas voters.”

Reddy said in 2023 he is “pro-life,” but supports exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother and “fetal abnormalities inconsistent with life.” He said he didn’t vote on the amendment because he was unclear on whether the amendment would have protected exceptions.

Asked a year ago how he would vote on a national abortion ban, Reddy said it’s a “states’ rights issue.” After the interview, a campaign spokesperson said Reddy would vote no on a national abortion ban.