A paid “Mark Kelly for Senate” staff member is heard revealing to an undercover Project Veritas Action (PVA) journalist Kelly’s campaign deception strategy to “play both sides” of the abortion issue by saying “Mark Kelly is pro-life” when, in reality, he is not, in order to win over ‘Independents’ and ‘moderate Republicans’ in Arizona.
In the video released Tuesday, Evynn Bronson of the Mark Kelly for Senate campaign – a Mission for Arizona field organizer – is recorded explaining to the undercover PVA journalist how to win votes from Independents and “moderate Republicans” for the Democrat senator by deceiving Arizonans on the issue of abortion:
Bronson: He [Mark Kelly] definitely tried to do a lot – to work bipartisan [with] both Republicans and Democrats. So, he’s not gonna outright say all of the very liberal –
PVA Journalist: Even though you think he’s gonna do them anyways.
Bronson: Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
PVA Journalist: Why doesn’t he just say them?
Bronson: Because he has to play both sides. Forty percent of the people voting are undecided whether or not they’re going to vote Republican or Democrat.
Bronson then appears to admit to the PVA journalist that Kelly’s actual position on abortion at any time during pregnancy could be scary to many voters:
PVA Journalist: So, you think he just needs to say that to get votes?
Bronson: Well, he’s not going to say anything outright about what he’s going to do unless it will garner support from Independents and some of the moderate Republicans.
PVA Journalist: Because he needs them?
Bronson: Well, yeah. He needs them, otherwise he won’t win.
PVA Journalist: Oh, so if he outright said it, then he wouldn’t win?
Bronson: It would scare people away.
Bronson is then heard telling the undercover journalist to lie to certain voters about Kelly’s position on abortion:
PVA Journalist: I was thinking, okay, what if I came across a Republican who was like – okay, let’s say they’re pro-life and they like ask me if Mark Kelly is pro-life?
Bronson: Yes.
PVA Journalist: Say yes?
Bronson: I would say Mark Kelly is pro-life, but also pro-keeping the government out of our health care.
PVA Journalist: Okay. [Laughs]
Bronson: I don’t know, something stupid like that.
PVA Journalist: Even though he’s not pro-life.
Bronson: Absolutely, he is not pro-life. [Laughs]
PVA Journalist: Okay, good.
Bronson: And then I’d go to something like, “You know, after his wife was in a shooting, he values life so much. It’s just a shame.”
PVA Journalist: What would you stay away from saying? You know, to get them to vote for Mark Kelly.
Bronson: Like, as a Republican?
PVA Journalist: Yeah.
Bronson: I wouldn’t say – I wouldn’t say [he is] pro-choice.
PVA Journalist: Even though he is, right?
Bronson: Even though he is.
Kelly is running against Republican Blake Masters, who clearly states his pro-life stance on his campaign website.
“The Democrats lie about my views on abortion, because their candidate’s position is so extreme: Mark Kelly believes in nationwide abortion on-demand up until the moment of birth, with zero limits,” Masters says. “That is truly shocking. 90% of Americans disagree with Mark Kelly’s radical position.”
“I believe that Roe v. Wade was a bad decision, and Dobbs returned the power where it belongs: to the state legislatures and to the people,” he asserts, adding:
Only China and North Korea support the extreme no-limits abortion policies that Senator Mark Kelly supports. By banning extreme late-term abortion and otherwise letting states decide how to handle the issue, we would further protect life and put ourselves on par with all other civilized countries.
Masters has vowed to support the Hyde Amendment, to ensure no taxpayer monies fund abortions; to strip Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding; to support a federal law or constitutional amendment banning late-term abortion and partial-birth abortion; and to back pro-life legislation and pregnancy centers.
In the video the PVA journalist is also heard asking Bronson about the issue of the border, and Bronson is recorded mocking the Republican stance on illegal immigration.
“That one is a hard conversation because it’s just like Republicans are like ‘no to immigrants,’ and also are like, ‘we’re in a job shortage,’” Bronson says. “I’m like, ‘well, okay,’ [laughter] if we let the immigrants in we’d have more people to work our jobs.’”
– – –
Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Evynn Bronson” by Project Vertias.
