Keller: How big a role will abortion rights play in the presidential election?
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
BOSTON - Abortion rights took center stage at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, highlighted by moving remarks from a young woman raped and impregnated by her stepfather. She zeroed in on actions during Donald Trump's presidency that opened the door for abortion bans in some states and made the case for supporting the Democratic ticket to forestall further erosion of abortion rights.
Trump says abortion is "small issue"
But earlier this month Trump claimed "abortion has become much less of an issue. I think it's actually gonna be a very small issue" in the election.
So who is right?
Take a look at New Hampshire, where former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte is the GOP frontrunner for governor.
More than a decade ago, Ayotte was branding herself as "the only pro-life woman in the U.S. Senate." But now, in the wake of attack ads from a Democratic political action committee that declare "in the Senate, Kelly Ayotte supported a national abortion ban...When someone shows you who they are, believe them," Ayotte is fighting back with no less than two TV ads declaring: "The BS political attacks can take a hike. ... My Democratic opponents mislead women about abortion. ... I'll be happy to use the veto pen if someone sends me a law that's more restrictive on their right. ...We all know what they're doing, politicizing abortion to win votes. It's wrong and it's not New Hampshire."
But Democratic frontrunner Joyce Craig sees hypocrisy and an opening there. "Kelly Ayotte spent her career attacking reproductive rights. I'll always fight to protect them," she says in a TV ad.
Number of Americans who say abortion should be illegal dropping
So while this may be a problem for Republicans in New Hampshire, where Kamala Harris holds a seven-point lead over Trump in the latest polling driven by a whopping gender gap, does that necessarily apply across the country?
The percent of Americans who say abortion should be illegal in all cases has dropped to its lowest mark ever, 12 percent. Keep in mind, both Ayotte and Trump take the position that abortions should be legal in the early months of pregnancy and in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the life of the mother.
But there are loud voices on the right that want more severe restrictions on abortion and contraception, and the Democrats argue Trump and Ayotte can't be trusted to hold the line against them if they return to power.
