周三，参议院共和党人认真审视了周二晚上的处罚选举结果在一些关键的战场州，他们不满意他们所看到的。
“昨天对我来说是一个彻底的失败，”北卡罗来纳州参议员托姆·蒂利斯说。
2023年7月19日，Thom Tillis在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦大厦最高法院的新闻发布会上发表讲话
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images，文件
共和党人遭到了一系列指责，从红色州肯塔基州计划连任民主党州长安迪·贝希尔(Andy Beshear)到弗吉尼亚州计划在州议会两院选举民主党多数派，可能会阻挠共和党州长格伦·扬金(Glenn Youngkin)制定15周堕胎禁令的选举承诺。
但对参议院共和党人来说，最能说明问题的是红州俄亥俄州在堕胎问题上发出的信息，预计那里的选民会以压倒性多数选择将堕胎权写入该州的宪法。
“我不认为这是一个大秘密，但在许多州，堕胎不是共和党获胜的问题，”犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼周三表示。"获胜的议题与经济和生活成本有关."
“关注堕胎并没有成为大赢家，”他补充道。
自最高法院驳回罗伊诉韦德案以来，俄亥俄州的选举结果延续了一系列成功的投票举措，这些举措确保了多个州的堕胎权。
俄亥俄州民主党人谢罗德·布朗说:“昨晚的情况非常明显，大多数俄亥俄州人以近15个百分点的优势表示，他们认为妇女和他们的医生应该做出他们的医疗保健选择，而不是一群哥伦布政客，事情就这么简单。”。
对一些参议院共和党人人来说，结果表明限制性堕胎政策并没有引起他们选民的共鸣。
“在我看来，这表明可能有更多的女性投票，可能有更多的年轻女性投票，”弗吉尼亚州共和党参议员谢莉·摩尔·卡皮托说，“当人们投票时，他们的声音被听到了，我认为这就是事实。他们不同意全国范围内一些更严格的堕胎限制。”
得克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁表示，随着美国将注意力转向2024年，如何在各自的竞选活动中处理堕胎问题将取决于每个候选人。
“堕胎是一个良心问题，所以它不仅仅是你基于政治利益而改变的事情。但这是每个候选人必须自己想清楚的事情，而且这个国家的每个地方都有一点不同。"我不会说出一条适用于全国的通用规则。"
参议院共和党人最近被迫在自己的会议厅里盯着堕胎政策的影响，共和党参议员汤米·特伯维尔(Tommy Tuberville)对五角大楼的堕胎政策进行了长达一个月的封锁，该政策补偿服务人员前往接受堕胎，从而推迟了数百项军事晋升的确认。
他周三说，俄亥俄州的结果不会改变特伯维尔的想法。
“不，我代表阿拉巴马州，我知道我们的立场，”特伯维尔说。“所以，作为一个国家党，我不认为会有任何行动。我不认为国家发生了变化，我认为只是有时你会有不同方向的动力转移。”
许多共和党人表示，在周二晚上的结果之后，是时候将叙事从堕胎转移到更多的“餐桌”问题上了，他们认为这些问题将获得选民的更多关注。
参议员史蒂夫·戴恩斯。参议院共和党竞选机构负责人表示，他认为2024年的选举将更多地关注边境、经济和他所谓的“地缘政治灾难”
戴恩斯说:“在州问题上竞选有很大的不同，这些都是州选举，在联邦政策上为乔·拜登辩护。”“2024年，美国参议院将面临一系列非常不同的问题。”
参议院第二号共和党人、共和党参议员约翰·图恩(John Thune)也表示，现在是时候将注意力转移到他认为对共和党有益的问题上了。
“毫无疑问，我们必须有一个吸引郊区选民的令人信服的信息，”图恩说。“所以，我认为这就是经济、就业、生活成本、公共安全的边界。我认为这些问题真正引起了全国人民的共鸣，我们的候选人今年将在这个问题上发起进攻。”
'A complete failure': Senate Republicans on a punishing election night
Senate Republicans on Wednesday took a hard look at Tuesday night's punishingelectionresults in some key battleground states, and they're not pleased with what they're seeing.
"Yesterday to me was a complete failure," said Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
Republicans were handed a string of rebukes, from red-state Kentucky's projected move to reelect Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to Virginia projected to elect Democratic majorities in both chambers of its state Legislature, likely thwarting GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's election promise to enact a 15-week abortion ban.
But most telling for Senate Republicans was the message red-state Ohio sent on abortion, where voters were projected to have overwhelmingly chosen to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution.
"I don't think it's a big secret, but in many states, abortion is not a winning issue for Republicans," Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Wednesday. "The winning issues are related to the economy and the cost of living."
"Focusing on abortion didn't turn out to be the big winner," he added.
Ohio's election results continued a string of successful ballot initiatives that have secured abortion access in multiple states since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.
"Last night was a pretty clear case that most Ohioans by almost 15 points said they believe that women and their doctors should make their health care choices not a bunch of Columbus politicians, it's about as simple as that," Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown said.
To some Senate Republicans, the results indicate that restrictive abortion policy isn't resonating with their voters.
"That's an indication in my view that maybe more women voted maybe more young women voted," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said "When people vote their voice is heard and I think that's what happened. They don't agree with some of the more stringent abortion restrictions across the country."
Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said it will be up to each individual candidate to navigate how to handle abortion in their respective campaigns as the nation turns its attention to 2024.
"Abortion is a matter of conscience and so it's not just something you change based on political gain. But this is something each individual candidate has to try to figure out for themselves and every part of the country is a little bit different," Cornyn said. "I wouldn't state a general rule that would apply nationwide."
Senate Republicans have recently been forced to stare down the implications of abortion policy in their own chamber, where a monthslong blockade by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville over a Pentagon abortion policy -- that compensates service members to travel to receive abortion -- has stalled the confirmation of hundreds of military promotions.
The Ohio results are not changing Tuberville's mind, he said Wednesday.
"No, I represent Alabama, I know how we stand," Tuberville said. "So, as a national party, I don't think there'll be any movement on that. I don't think the country changes I think just sometimes you have momentum shifts in different directions."
Many Republicans suggested that, after Tuesday night's results, it's past time to shift the narrative from abortion to more "kitchen table" issues, which they believe will gain more traction with voters.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who heads the Senate Republican campaign arm, said he believes the 2024 election will focus more on the border, the economy, and what he called the "disaster geopolitically."
"There's a big difference in running on state issues, and these were all state elections, and running on federal policies defending Joe Biden," Daines said. "It will be a very different set of issues in 2024 with the United States Senate."
The Senate's #2 Republican, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., also said it's time to shift focus to issues he believes will work for the GOP.
"We have to have a compelling message that appeals to the suburban voters no question about that," Thune said. "So, I think that's economy, jobs, cost of living, public safety the border. I think those are the issues that really resonate with people across the country and our candidates this year are going to be on offense on that issue."
