Marco Rubio has been categorized as part of the “Republican establishment,” and has even been thought of as a moderate in the 2016 presidential race, however he is a strong social conservative who believes in banning abortion — even in cases of rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage, saying “God’s rules always win” against Supreme Court decisions. Is he too conservative to win the millennial voters who tend to skew more liberal on social issues?
During Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate at Saint Anselm College, journalist Mary Katherine Ham called this argument “one of the lazier pieces of political conventional wisdom,” and pointed out that while it is true that most young voters favor same sex marriage, they have not moved to the left on abortion.
“How do you speak to millennials on both these issues, while Democrats will inevitable charge intolerance and extremism?” Ham asked Rubio.
Rubio said he respects those who believe differently about marriage, but said believing in traditional marriage does not make someone a “bigot or a hater.”
“It means that you believe that this institution that’s been around for millennia is an important cornerstone of society,” he said.
Additionally, he maintained that his pro-life views are more of a human rights issue than a political one.
In an attempt to win over New Hampshire voters, both Governors Chris Christie and Jeb Bush attacked Rubio this week on his “no-exceptions” abortion stance.
During the debate, Rubio clarified that he does, in fact, support an exception to protect the life of the mother. He also said that if he becomes president, he would sign a bill that saves lives, even if it included exceptions.
Then, Rubio turned the question around calling Hillary Clinton and Democrats the real extremists on abortion.
“Here’s what I find outrageous,” he said. “There have been five Democratic debates. The media has not asked them a single question on abortion and on abortion, the Democrats are extremists. Why doesn’t the media ask Hillary Clinton why she believes that all abortion should be legal, even on the due date of that unborn child? Why don’t they ask Hillary Clinton why she believe that partial-birth abortion, which is a gruesome procedure that has been outlawed in this country, she thinks that’s a fundamental right.”
A USA Today/Rock the Vote poll released in January found that the majority of millennials (42%) describe themselves as liberal on social issues. However, there is data indicating that on the issue of abortion, millennials are actually more pro-life than previous generations. A 2016 Marist poll found 76 percent of millennials favor restrictions on abortion.
The data shows Americans in general tend to be in the middle on the issue, with most (81%) favoring restricting abortion to the first three months of a pregnancy — which would make both Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton extremists in the eyes of the electorate.
