Republicans' abortion silence backfires in midterms

The blame game has begun around what led to Republicans' disappointing results in the midterms, with some outside groups zeroing in on the party's lack of an abortion message.

Driving the news: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a large anti-abortion organization with close ties to GOP leaders, slammed Republican candidates who distanced themselves from abortion bans and failed to clearly communicate their stance on the issue, calling it "political malpractice."

The group said in a memo that to "win in competitive races," candidates needed to focus on defining their opponents as "abortion extremists" and "contrast that with a clearly defined pro-life position centered around consensus such as pain-capable or heartbeat limits."

State of play: They specifically praised Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen.-elect J.D. Vance of Ohio, and Georgia Senate hopeful Herschel Walker, whose closely watched race is headed for a runoff.

SBA Pro-Life America criticized Mehmet Oz, who lost Pennsylvania's Senate race, and Adam Laxalt, who is leading in Nevada's still undecided Senate contest, for not explicitly stating their anti-abortion stances.