Former Congressman Max Rose is staking his bid to return to Congress on the fight for abortion rights.
So much so that both of his newest TV ads are focused on Republican incumbent Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ votes to let states ban abortion with, according to one ad’s narrator, “no exceptions for rape, incest or even when the life of the mother’s at risk.”
After Malliotakis told NY1 in an exclusive interview that she does back those exceptions, Rose’s campaign said she’s been lying.
“Look, I think there needs to be limits,” she had said late last month.
What You Need To Know
- Malliotakis told NY1 she supports some exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother
- Her voting record shows she supports state bans including without those exceptions
- Rose repeatedly said abortion is a decision between a woman and her doctor
- But he's slow to answer whether he believes there should be any restrictions
Seeking to win the seat he held before Malliotakis on Staten Island and in southern Brooklyn, Rose is among the Democrats banking on the overturning of Roe vs. Wade to galvanize midterm voters.
Malliotakis’ voting history shows she is broadly opposed to abortion rights.
And the text of the bills she has voted “nay” on — the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act — doesn’t mention exceptions.
On Monday, her campaign didn’t explain the votes but did call Rose’s attacks “another shameful attempt … to ‘mansplain’ the congresswoman’s position.”
Malliotakis communications director Natalie Baldassarre also charged in her statement: “Extremists like Max Rose want abortion up until the moment of birth.”
And while Rose has accused Malliotakis of dodging questions on abortion, there was a question NY1 asked twice and he sidestepped twice.
Does he support any restrictions on abortion rights?
“This is exactly what the national extremist Republican Party wants to do here,” he responded late last month. “This is exactly it, the very question. They want to forget about — they want us to move the conversation to forget about the incredibly horrific Dobbs decision.”
Rose, a U.S. Army combat veteran, is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
In a candidate questionnaire from Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats this year, he answered, “I strongly oppose any restrictions on women’s access to abortion or health care coverage.”
Asked again Monday about any limitations he supports, Rose began his statement by accusing Malliotakis of distracting from her votes against exceptions.
He then responded that he backed New York State’s codifying of Roe, “which included common-sense rules for when an abortion can happen after 24 weeks and that’s when the life or health of the mother is in danger.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.