Two of Missouri’s leading Republican candidates for governor have broken with former President Donald Trump on abortion, saying they don’t agree with his call to allow abortions in cases of rape or incest.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Sen. Bill Eigel during a TV debate signaled that they support a stricter ban on abortion than the Republican presidential nominee. While Trump has said states will set abortion policy, he has also voiced support for limited exceptions.
Ashcroft and Eigel’s comments came during a round of rapid questions during the debate, which was hosted by St. Louis TV station KSDK. The moderator stated Trump’s position and asked if he was wrong.
“I believe that we need to protect all life,” Ashcroft said.
Eigel signaled his agreement but didn’t elaborate.
Missouri’s current ban, which took effect when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022, includes no exceptions for rape or incest. It contains an exception only for medical emergencies.
Ashcroft and Eigel’s answers put them at odds with the other major Republican in the race, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who didn’t participate in the debate. Last year, Kehoe’s campaign told The Star that he was open to amending the state’s ban to add exceptions for rape or incest.
“As governor and the father of three daughters, Kehoe would consider approving legislation brought forward by the General Assembly that contains exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” Derek Coats, the Republican’s campaign manager, said in an email last July.
On Friday, Kehoe spokesperson Gabby Picard said in a statement that Kehoe “is 100% pro-life and, unlike Jay Ashcroft and Bill Eigel who oppose President Trump, will stand with him to protect innocent life.”
Ashcroft and Eigel’s comments place them to the right of the Republican presidential nominee as Missourians prepare to potentially vote in November on overturning the ban. If voters approve a state constitutional amendment ending the ban, Missouri could be the first state since the U.S. Supreme Court decision where voters have eliminated a ban.
“Like Ronald Reagan, I am strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother,” Trump said in a video statement in April outlining his position on abortion.
Abortion vote looms
If Republican voters nominate Ashcroft or Eigel in the Aug. 6 primary election, Democrats are certain to use the comments to attack either candidate. While Democrats, who haven’t won a governor’s election since 2012, face an uphill climb, abortion has turned out voters in races across the country.
The two major Democratic candidates – House Minority Leader Crystal Quade and businessman Mike Hamra – both support abortion rights.
“The authors and enforcers of Missouri’s cruel abortion ban are showing their hand. Right now Missourians live under a total abortion ban and the resulting devastation for pregnant Missourians and our families cannot be denied,” Mallory Schwarz, the executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said in a statement.
Data shows that since Missouri’s ban took effect, thousands of Missouri women have received abortions in other states, primarily Kansas and Illinois. At the same time, Missouri residents are now competing for appointments with residents of other states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, where abortion is also banned.
Missouri residents were already crossing state lines for abortion in large numbers before the ban. Decades of restrictions passed by the Missouri General Assembly steadily chipped away at access, leaving just one abortion clinic, in St. Louis, operating at the time of the Supreme Court decision.
The amendment would enshrine the right to an abortion in the Missouri Constitution, paving the way for abortion clinics to open or reopen in the state.
The Star’s Kacen Bayless contributed reporting
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