Nancy Mace warns Republicans to speak out on gun violence and find a compromise on abortion

Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace on Sunday warned her fellow party members 'can no longer be silent' on both abortion and gun control issues and move to a more center ground if they want to keep winning elections.

A recent Gallup poll shows 63 percent of Americans are 'dissatisfied' with the nation's gun laws with only 34 percent saying they were 'satisfied.'

'Republicans can no longer be silent on this issue, and it's not about the Second Amendment,' Mace said on Fox News Sunday. 'There are plenty of things that we can be doing besides offering prayers in silence' 

The South Carolina Congresswoman also chided her fellow Republicans on abortion. 

Mace, who has spoken openly about being a rape victim, has repeatedly criticized her party for what she has called a lack of 'compassion' for women on the issue.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace warned her fellow party members to stop 'burying our heads in the sand' on the abortion issue

A recent Gallup poll shows 63 percent of Americans 'dissatisfied' with the nation's gun laws with only 34 percent saying they were 'satisfied.'

Her critique comes as polls show a majority of Americans support abortion rights even as Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country and as a legal fight shapes up over a Texas case where a judge pulled back FDA approval of a popular abortion drug.

Mace, who describes herself as 'pro-life,' said when it comes the abortion issue, the Republican Party 'needs to find a middle ground on this issue.'

'I have a great pro-life voting record but some of the stances we've taken, especially when it comes to rape and incest, protecting the life of a mother, it's so extreme, the middle -- the independent voters, right of center, left of center, they cannot support us,' she said on Fox News Sunday.

Mace argues that most voters favor abortion in terms or rape or incest or when it comes to life of the mother. Polling shows that most Americans agree on that and that a majority of Americans generally favor abortion rights.

She pointed out the Republicans did not do as well as expected in the 2022 midterm election, which many analysts attribute to voters being rallied to the polls by their fury with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

Mace said she would personally ban abortions after 15 to 20 weeks, which is typically when a heartbeat can be detected. 

'There are a lot of things that we can do to protect life and not alienate the independent voter,' she said.

'What I saw last year in the midterm election, I saw us lose seats we should have won,' Mace noted. 'Women are watching. But instead, it seems like and it feels like we're burying our heads in the sand.'

'We're afraid of the issue because we're afraid of our base,' she added.

Mace pointed out she was targeted by former President Donald Trump in the 2022 primary - mainly due to her abortion stance - but went on to win that contest by 9 points. 

The abortion issue is expected to dominate the 2024 president election as a wave of  new restrictions went into affect around the country after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

One of those places is Florida where Gov. DeSantis, who's expected to make a presidential run, signed into law a bill that bans abortions after six weeks. It essentially outlaws the procedure in the state since most women don't realize they are pregnant at that point.

Many Republicans worry such bans go too far and turn off voters. And it's causing some to question DeSantis.

Hungarian-born billionaire Thomas Peterffy had previously said he was 'looking forward' to financing the governor's probable White House bid.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country

But he told the Financial Times on Saturday that he and 'a bunch of friends are holding our powder dry' because of DeSantis' 'stance on abortion and book banning'.

'I have put myself on hold,' Peterffy said.

'I am more reluctant to back him. We are waiting to see who among the primary candidates is most likely to be able to win the general, and then put all of our firepower behind them.'

A whopping 64 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the newest data Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI.) Sixty-three percent disagreed with the decision to overturn Roe. 

Sixty-eight percent of Independent voters said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to PRRI, as did 90 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Republicans. 

Some 21 percent of Independents said the abortion matter was a deal-breaker - they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views.