MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Ron DeSantis toured New Hampshire on Saturday, making campaign stops ahead of the first Republican presidential debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The bus tour, hosted by super PAC Never Back Down, stopped at local businesses, the Londonderry Old Home Day Parade and a meet-and-greet with voters in Manchester. DeSantis said these grassroots stops help separate him from the crowded field of GOP candidates.
“When we get the opportunity to speak directly to people, we do very, very well,” DeSantis told reporters.
“A CULTURE OF LIFE”
At the Manchester stop, DeSantis was asked if he plans to seek a national abortion ban similar to the heartbeat bill he signed in Florida. New Hampshire and other “liberal” states, DeSantis says, likely won’t support a nationwide abortion ban.
“Look, I think I understand that, you know, you’re going to have different states do that differently,” DeSantis said. “I don’t think, like, New Hampshire is going to do what Iowa did.”
“And I recognize and understand that Pennsylvania may not do what Texas did,” DeSantis added. “But I think in places where you have an opportunity to make an impact, you know, we want to stand on the side of a culture of life.”
Earlier this month, during an interview with NBC News, DeSantis said the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision returned the matter of abortion back to the states.
“I’m pro-life,” DeSantis told the outlet. “I have a record of promoting a culture of life in Florida, just like they’ve done in Iowa, just like they’ve done in South Carolina. Dobbs returned it to the political branches.”
In July, DeSantis got pushback from nationwide nonprofit Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which said the anti-abortion movement and Americans across the U.S. deserve a president who will “boldly advocate” for a ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.
