Overview

• Governor Ron DeSantis did not mention the six-week abortion ban he signed in Florida during his first trip to New Hampshire as a presidential candidate.
• DeSantis has sometimes avoided talking about abortion even in front of friendly audiences and has skirted questions about a federal abortion ban, suggesting that the matter should be left largely to the states.
• Republican leaders in New Hampshire say a six-week ban is too extreme for voters in their state, which has a 24-week limit.
• DeSantis appears to be calibrating his message on abortion, as he talked about Florida's six-week ban during a speech in Iowa but did not mention it at several stops in New Hampshire.
• Abortion is likely to be a complicated issue for DeSantis to discuss, especially if he wins the Republican nomination, as moderates and independents tend to be less supportive of bans as early as six weeks.