Sean Hannity gave a surprising take on abortion on his Fox News show on Thursday night, suggesting that the Republican Party’s hardline stance on the issue is out of step with the American people and could scare off voters. He specifically made reference to the “pretty sobering” vote in Ohio on Tuesday in which voters rejected a ballot measure that backers hoped could be used to stop abortion protections from being enshrined in the state’s constitution in November. Hannity said abortion restrictions under 15 weeks could push away many Americans from supporting the GOP. “The fear among many, many conservatives is this will chase away many suburban voters,” he said. He later added: “I think the American people, and I consider myself pro-life, I believe in the sanctity of life, but I think politically that there is—Republicans have gotta say, as Bill Clinton once said—I never thought I’d quote him—‘rare,’ ‘legal,’ and I’d add the word[s], ‘very early in a pregnancy.’ That seems to be politically where the country is. Maybe I’m wrong. But we’ll see. That vote in Ohio is pretty, pretty sobering.”
