Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and his wife have launched an anti-abortion group in Missouri, a move that has put him crosswise with the Trump administration less than a year before the midterm elections.
The nonprofit, known as the Love Life Initiative, plans to back pro-life ballot efforts and oppose pro-abortion ballot initiatives.
"We believe there needs to be a strong voice advocating for life and making it easier to start a family," Hawley said in a statement. "That is fundamental to who we are as Americans and the future of our country. And it is how we will be judged as a society."
He added, "This is a generational project, not just about the next election cycle."
The launch, however, comes at a pivotal moment in Missouri, where voters are preparing for a statewide ballot measure next year that would ban nearly all abortions after a landmark 2024 vote that legalized the procedure, the Kansas City Star reported.
President Donald Trump argued on the 2024 campaign trail that strict abortion laws are a fast track to Republican losses. Hawley's move reportedly enraged Trump advisers, who accuse the senator of forgetting recent political lessons.
"Clearly, Sen. Hawley and his political team learned nothing from the 2022 elections, when the SCOTUS abortion ruling [overturning Roe v. Wade] resuscitated the Democrats in the midterms," a Trump adviser told Axios.
Hawley's group — which is not required by law to disclose its donors — plans to back anti-abortion state ballot measures and fund television advertising, potentially including Super Bowl ads.
The group points to polling showing a majority of Americans identify as supporting abortion access and notes repeated losses for pro-life ballot efforts nationwide. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, 11 states have passed pro-abortion initiatives, while two have rejected pro-life measures.
"The Love Life Initiative will fight to reverse this trend through thoughtful, far-reaching advertising campaigns that promote the sanctity of life, advance referendums that protect life, and identify and defeat harmful proposals in statehouses across the nation," the nonprofit's website says.
Trump aides said they were not briefed on the effort and were angered when they learned of it, according to Axios.
"Picking a fight on an issue like abortion in a midterm is the height of asinine stupidity," a second Trump adviser said.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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