Press Release

Every Republican candidate for Attorney General in Minnesota has pledged to attack access to abortion. While already deeply troubling, their anti-choice extremism merits further scrutiny following last night’s news that the Supreme Court is set to overrule Roe v. Wade. Here’s what the various Republican candidates for Attorney General have said:

Tad Jude: 

Tad Jude supports criminalizing virtually all abortion, even in cases of rape or incest where a police report is not filed within 48 hours of the crime taking place. During a recent Attorney General debate, Jude attacked Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Gomez and bragged about his support from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, saying:

“This is a critical issue that will be coming to the states and I welcome it. The Roe decision and the Gomez decision, I think the courts had had to go through gyrations to rationalize the end results of those decisions. I have been exceptionally supportive of families, children, our future, and I believe that means that we have pro-life legislation. I would be pro-life. I would – in fact I was awarded the pro-life legislator of the year by MCCL because of my work in that area. I work to include unborn children in all our criminal laws and that’s the law today. You see prosecutions from time to time of an unborn child being killed. If it isn’t being killed by an abortionist, it can be prosecuted and that is done in Minnesota. It’s because of the law that I authored and was able to get into Minnesota statutes.”

Doug Wardlow:

During a recent Attorney General debate, Doug Wardlow attacked Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Gomez and pledged to emulate the Attorney General of Mississippi, whose case will ultimately end up overturning Roe v. Wade:

“We’re all very hopeful that Roe v. Wade will be overturned, things are looking good in that regard, and I hope that Doe v. Gomez will quickly follow suit. Now we’re going to have a Republican Governor, and a Republican State House, and a Republican State Senate after this election. And that means we’re going to be passing some very important laws to  protect the lives of the unborn. As your Attorney General, I will be there to stand up for and defend those laws just like Lynn Fitch did recently in Mississippi, in the case that will overturn Roe v. Wade, defending that state’s fifteen-week ban on abortion. I have a strong pro-life record, when I was in the statehouse, I authored and co-authored of bills to protect the lives of the unborn, including a bill that banned abortion at the point where a fetal heartbeat is detected. So I have a strong pro-life record, so you can trust me as your attorney general to fight in court, and stand up for those laws, for the right to life in general.”

Jim Schultz:

During a recent Attorney General debate, Jim Schultz pledged to go on offense against the right to receive avbortion care:

“We all know that, so as Attorney General, I will absolutely do everything I can to ensure that the most vulnerable among us, the unborn child, are defended aggressively. And we need to not just be on defense on this issue. The fact is, Democrats are the extremists on the issue… I’ll be the one going on offense on the issue. So many times, Democrats attack us, the media attacks us, and then the Republicans go into this defensive crouch. Well, that’s not going to be me. Offense Offense Offense. Pointing out that Democrats are the extremists on the issue we are going to fight back. That’s what I’ll do as Attorney General.”

Dennis Smith:

Dennis Smith’s website states that “Dennis has been a strong defender of the unborn and believes life begins at conception – that’s why Minnesota Right to Life endorsed him while in the legislature.”

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“For decades, Republicans promised to overturn Roe v. Wade and now that appears to be happening. Here in Minnesota, Republican candidates for Attorney General are promising to end state-level protections for abortion care. When these dangerous extremists pledge to eliminate your right to control your own body, you should believe them.”