Wisconsin Rep. Bob Donovan faces uphill reelection battle as his long anti-abortion record comes into focus

Wisconsin state Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) will defend his Assembly seat in a newly drawn tossup district (61st) as he defends an extensive anti-abortion record.

Despite polling suggesting that the majority of Wisconsinites support abortion being legal in all or most cases, Donovan and his fellow Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature have repeatedly worked to undermine reproductive rights for years. During his reelection campaign in 2022, Donovan advocated for the enforcement of Wisconsin’s stringent 1849 abortion ban on his campaign website, which went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.

“I am pro-life and will support policies that advocate for the life of our precious unborn,” Donovan’s website said as of Aug. 11, 2022. “We must end the practice of selling fetal body parts and enforce Wisconsin’s abortion ban if Roe vs Wade is overturned.”

The issues section, including the anti-abortion rhetoric, was later scrubbed from Donovan’s website.

Although procedures in Wisconsin ceased for a 15-month period, abortive health care eventually resumed in Wisconsin (up to 20 weeks) after a Dane County judge ruled that the 1849 law did not apply to abortions.

In January, Donovan introduced Assembly Bill 975, a piece of legislation that would put a 14-week abortion ban in front of voters in a statewide referendum. At the time, Donovan asserted his support on the basis that he is Catholic.

“I struggled with this legislation here before us today, but I am supporting it because I believe, if enacted, it will help reduce the loss of life,” Donovan said. “I am pro-life, and I am Catholic, and I believe that abortion is the taking of a human being.”

The bill passed the Republican-controlled Assembly by a 53-46 vote, but it failed in the Senate on April 15. Had it passed in the Senate, AB 975 would have likely been vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers (D).

While debating the bill, Donovan’s colleague Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) said that abortion was not health care and claimed to be a foremost expert on the topic because he was a veterinarian.

“I think I know mammalian fetal development better than anyone here,” Kitchens said on the Assembly floor in January.

Debating a 14-week abortion ban, Wisconsin State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R) says abortion isn’t health care and claims he’s an expert because he was a veterinarian:

“I did thousands of ultrasounds on animals … I think I know mammalian fetal development better than anyone here.” pic.twitter.com/6Yv6ceG6vm

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) January 25, 2024

In 2022, Donovan also accepted an endorsement from Wisconsin Right To Life (WRTL), a group that does not support exceptions for rape or incest exceptions for abortion bans. Both Donovan and Kitchens participated in a survey conducted by WRTL, where they indicated support for controversial crisis pregnancy centers and for “protecting all preborn children from abortion.”

Donovan currently represents the 84th Assembly District but will be seeking the 61st Assembly seat this November after new legislative maps were put in place earlier this year. Donovan will be facing his former Democratic opponent LuAnn Bird, who fell short of defeating Donovan in 2022 by just 526 votes. In addition to facing a tough opponent, Donovan is now running in a district that is projected to be much more competitive, and it is listed as a toss-up by Wisconsin Watch.