Where do the US House candidates stand on guns and abortion? Herring, Griggs weigh in
After the shooting in Uvalde and the looming Supreme Court ruling on whether Roe v. Wade will be upheld, Democratic voters will get the chance to vote on the issues in the 1st Congressional District runoff.
The candidates, Savannah lawyer Wade Herring and retired Army Lt. Col. Joyce Marie Griggs line up on most issues. But since the May 24 primary, Herring has made note of what he sees as key discrepancies in the two candidates, both of which surround two topics embedded firmly in the contemporary liberal zeitgeist: guns and abortions.
Griggs says she takes a pro-choice outward stance on abortion, she respects a woman’s right to choose, but she says her personal choice is to choose life. Additionally, she says common sense gun regulations and more severe gun control measures should be put in place.
But Herring’s criticisms come from a Democratic candidate who hopes to pull centrist Republican voters away from longtime Republican Rep. Buddy Carter in the fall. And on these two polarizing issues, Herring appears to be more left-leaning than Griggs.
He disputes that assessment, noting that he believes his pro-choice and gun regulation sentiments are “the middle line.”
“I think looking after families is the middle line. Letting women make their own health care choices is the middle line. Protecting children from gun violence is the middle line. I think that’s the middle,” Herring said. “I don’t wanna put a label that I’m somehow left-of-middle because I’m for looking after families. I reject that.”
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Where they stand on abortion
Since the Supreme Court draft opinion leaked back in May, the protection of abortion rights has been an energizing issue for Democrats.
Griggs said she herself would choose not to abort, but bucks the notion that she’s pro-life.
She says abortion is a privacy issue and said she would fight for a woman’s right to choose. But she thinks the Supreme Court will overturn Roe V. Wade, which would put the decision on abortion access at the state level.
“It’s between that woman, her doctor and her God. I mean, that's what it boils down to. And really, I hate to have a bunch of old men sitting up there deciding what I'm gonna do with my body,” Griggs said. “If a woman wants an abortion, that’s her prerogative.”
Herring is pro-choice and said if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Congress "must act to restore women's reproductive rights."
“I trust women to make their own choices about their reproductive rights and their health care,” Herring said. “Miss Griggs is anti-choice, and said that when Roe v Wade is overturned, it's up to the states to regulate. Well, we know that half the states, maybe more, are going to ban abortion.”
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Where they stand on guns
Griggs says she supports stronger gun regulations and more required training, but she also supports the Second Amendment.
“We've got to have some stricter gun control measures, got to have background checks, safety checks,” Griggs said. “We’ve got to make sure that people are trained in the use and storage of weapons because children get ahold of some of these guns.”
Griggs said gun manufacturers should also bear more of the blame for mass shootings.
“You know, when these tragedies happen, we say ‘Oh, yeah, we're so sorry.’ But we don't pass any legislation, anything to protect people or to protect our children from it,” Grigg said. “I believe in the Second Amendment, but at the same time, I believe in protecting our children. Those children in Texas didn’t deserve this.”
Herring says if elected, he would look to reinforce the Federal Assault Weapons Ban passed in 1994. The act banned the purchase of assault weapons, which would include the AR-15. The ban was lifted in 2004.
Additionally, Herring said background checks should be expanded to keep felons, fugitives and those under restraining orders from buying guns. He also supports putting "red flag laws" into place, to be used by parents, teachers or counselors when "a child, student or patient is exhibiting violent tendencies or experiencing suicidal thoughts."
“I’m not talking about taking away constitutional rights. Rather, let’s take care of one another,” Herring's website reads.
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Runoff info
Griggs and Herring will face off for the final time, for this cycle at least, on June 21.
Like the primary, Georgians will get an opportunity to vote early in the runoff. Voters will be able to cast advance ballots in Chatham County from June 13 through June 17 at 1117 Eisenhower Drive, the Board of Elections Headquarters.
Early voting hours will be 8 a.m.to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Eisenhower Drive location will be the only site open for runoff early voting.
The absentee ballot request deadline has passed. Those with ballots must returned them by by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The absentee ballot drop box inside the Eisenhower Drive building will be available during early voting hours, but voters can also drop their completed absentee ballot off at the Board of Registrars office, located in the same building.
Unlike the primary, voters will not have the option to choose which party's ballot to cast. If they voted on a Democratic ballot in the primary, they'll only have the option to vote for the Democratic candidates in the runoff, and vice versa.
Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: After Roe v. Wade leak, Uvalde shooting, Democrats talk guns, abortion
