A Colorado Republican had a hard time explaining why he said he “respected” his girlfriend’s right to abortion but voted against abortion rights as a state representative.
Richard Holtorf, who is running against U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert to represent Colorado’s 4th District in Congress, was asked about the seeming hypocrisy during a Wednesday broadcast on Denver station KUSA, and he didn’t really have a good answer.
Earlier this year, Holtorf revealed that he once provided financial support to a girlfriend amid her own abortion so she could “live her best life,” despite also sponsoring a failed 2020 measure that would have banned the procedure in the state after 22 weeks.
“I respected her rights and actually gave her money to help her through her important, critical time,” Holtorf said in January.
During the KUSA interview, reporter Kyle Clark pointed out the apparent inconsistency.
“If abortion was the best choice for your girlfriend, why try to deny that choice to other women?” Clark blunty asked.
Holtorf tried to wiggle out of a straight answer, saying he’s “a pro-life Catholic” who believes that “everyone should choose life.” But he eventually said that, yes, his girlfriend had made the choice to get an abortion.
“Did she have that right? Yes. Was it my choice, Kyle? No,” Holtorf said.
“Why do you seek to deny the choice that you said was best for your girlfriend’s life?” Clark began to ask.
“Let me finish explaining,” Holtorf interrupted, but Clark pressed him, asking, “Why do you seek to deny it to other women?”
Holtorf said that as “a pro-life person,” he thinks “you should try to choose life every time. But there are exceptions. And there are times when you need abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure.”
“Is one of the exceptions when Richard Holtorf’s the father?” Clark asked.
“It’s not about me. Don’t personalize it and make it about me,” Holtorf responded.
When Clark reminded Holtorf that he’d discussed his girlfriend’s abortion on the floor of the Colorado House, the politician claimed that wasn’t an important detail.
“That doesn’t matter,” Holtorf said. “That’s a story. That’s not that important. What’s more important is the policy.”
You can see the exchange below.