In battleground Wisconsin race, GOP candidate David Daniels endorses near-total abortion ban
In Wisconsin, GOP Assembly candidate David Daniels endorsed a near-total abortion ban in audio obtained by Heartland Signal. Speaking to an individual at a local market, Daniels stated that “after six weeks, I don’t think it [abortion] should be allowed.”
Wisconsin’s 2026 elections could determine the fate of reproductive access in the state, which Republicans have routinely tried to restrict. David Daniels, the GOP candidate for one of the state’s most contested Assembly districts, recently voiced support for very harsh abortion restrictions.
Heartland Signal obtained audio of Daniels talking to an individual about abortion access while attending the Neenah Farmer’s Market on June 13. Daniels says that “after six weeks, I don’t think it [abortion] should be allowed.” He later connected his position to restrictive abortion bans, saying, “Once you start hearing a heartbeat and stuff, that’s a life.”
Daniels is vying for Wisconsin’s 53rd Assembly District, which comprises Neenah, Wis. and the surrounding areas. The 53rd District is one of the races that could determine which party controls the Wisconsin Assembly next year. Kamala Harris won the district by roughly four points in the 2024 presidential election. In the same year, state Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Duane Shukoski by 364 votes to win the seat.
Daniels supports near-total abortion ban
The comments align Daniels with some of the most restrictive reproductive health care policies in the country. Medical professionals warn that a six-week limit — also known as a heartbeat bill — functions as a near-total abortion ban. A significant majority of women are not even aware they are pregnant at that stage. Medical organizations also contest using the word “heartbeat” to describe the sound heard on an ultrasound machine early in a pregnancy.
“In fact, there are no chambers of the heart developed at the early stage in pregnancy that these bills are used to target, so there is no recognizable ‘heartbeat,’” says the website for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). “What pregnant people may hear is the ultrasound machine translating electronic impulses that signify fetal cardiac activity into the sound that we recognize as a heartbeat.”
The recording also captures Daniels responding to unverified claims about “at-term abortions going on in Minneapolis right now.” GOP claims about abortions being performed “moments before birth” have been repeatedly debunked. A 2024 analysis conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that abortions after 21 weeks are very uncommon. These procedures usually only occur if the mother’s life is in danger or if the fetus is diagnosed with a serious health condition.
Daniels’ campaign did not respond to a request to comment for this story.
Abortion access in Wisconsin
After the Supreme Court of the United States overturned federal abortion protections in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022, a sweeping abortion ban from 1849 went into effect in Wisconsin. Although abortion procedures tentatively resumed in 2023, the Republican-controlled state legislature repeatedly refused to repeal the 1849 ban.
The liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the controversial law in July 2025. In the 4-3 ruling, the court’s three conservative justices dissented. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) in 2024.
Although Wisconsin currently allows abortion procedures up to 20 weeks, Republicans have tried to impose more restrictions. The GOP has allowed restrictions like counseling requirements, mandatory 24-hour waiting periods and funding limitations for abortion providers to remain in place. Democrats have introduced legislation to ease these restrictions. However, the policies have not garnered enough GOP support to pass.
53rd District race
On April 27, Kaufert announced that he would not seek another term after winning the seat in 2024. Kaufert’s announcement came three days after Heartland Signal asked him about a sexual harassment investigation from 2019, when he was the mayor of Neenah. Kaufert is scheduled attend a campaign kickoff for Daniels on Thursday.
Daniels will face Democratic candidate Becky Nichols, a former music teacher and child care worker. Nichols is hoping the flip the open seat as Democrats look to obtain their first Assembly majority since 2010.
“Comments like this are out of touch with where voters are at. Decisions like this should be left to a patient and their doctor — not politicians,” Nichols told Heartland Signal. ” I am running to protect Wisconsinites’ rights and freedoms and lower costs for families in the Fox Valley.”
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