Audio: On Hard-Right Radio, VA02 GOP(Q) Nominee Jen Kiggans Dismissively Claims Abortion Just a “Shiny Object” That Voters Don’t “REALLY Care About”

This morning, VA02 Republican nominee Jen Kiggans, who is running against the superb Rep. Elaine Luria (D), went on hard-right radio (“Richmond Morning News with John Reid”) and was asked about the abortion issue. Before you listen to the audio, it’s important to be aware of what Kiggans’ ACTUAL views on abortion are; namely that:

• When Roe v Wade was overturned by the extremist Supreme Court, Kiggans said “I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.”
• She voted for “a vile anti-abortion amendment to restrict crucial funds for reproductive health care — a vote that will disproportionately impact low-income Virginians, people of color, and women in Coastal Virginia at a time when access to safe, legal abortion is more endangered than ever.”
• She “promoted false claims about “infanticide” and consistently voted against legislation to expand access to abortion.”
• After she won the Republican primary last spring, she scrubbed language from her website: removing her pledge to pass “pro-life legislation”; editing a claim that she stood up to attempts to expand access to abortions and force taxpayers to pay for abortion in Virginia; inserting a previously unmentioned claim that she supports expanding access to contraception; deleting a claim that she was a champion for women “impacted by abortion”; etc.

So in addition to being hard right on abortion (and almost every other issue), Kiggans is trying to fool voters into thinking she’s NOT an extremist. But, of course, she very much is! With that, check out the audio from Kiggans’ appearance this morning on hard-right radio, in which she said about abortion:

• “They are trying to make that the issue to deflect, right, from all of the issues that voters REALLY care about…the economy…gas and groceries…supply-chain shortages…” (In fact, polls show that abortion is most definitely something that people care about – a lot!)
• “They’re trying to distract with these shiny objects like the abortion issue…” (This is just insulting and disrespectful, to act as if abortion isn’t a matter of life and death, women’s fundamental rights/bodily autonomy, etc, but just a “shiny object”)
• “Elaine Luria is going on television saying Jen Kiggans is here to ban abortion. Well that’s ridiculous, because the reversal of Roe v Wade now brings that down to the state level, first of all…I’m a lot of things, but I’m not an extremist.” (NOTE: Luria’s ads are totally accurate; Kiggans is full of it regarding abortion now supposedly being 100% a state issue, when in fact numerous NATIONAL Republicans have talked about pushing legislation to ban it nationally, and when there are efforts to push the far-right Supreme Court to do the same. So yeah, don’t believe a word that extremist Jen Kiggans has to say about anything, and make sure we reelect Elaine Luria this November!)