(NewsNation) — Republicans have found themselves at a crossroads leading up to the 2024 elections, as a record number of voters are looking for a candidate who shares their views on abortion.

In the two elections since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion drove voters to the polls. Republicans pushing more stringent restrictions saw losses during the 2022 midterms and elections in 2023.

During last year’s midterms, voters in California, Vermont and Michigan backed measures to enshrine abortion access within the state constitution, and voters in the red state of Kentucky shot down a measure that would have banned it.

Meanwhile, in November, swing-state voters made Ohio the fourth state to constitutionally protect abortion access. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s best efforts to gain control of both chambers of the state legislature were additionally upset by Democrats who took complete control of the statehouse, blocking efforts to pass new abortion restrictions.

While some Republican presidential candidates have maintained strict opposition to abortion or enacted short-term limits, others, like former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, have taken a more moderate approach that may be more in line with voters’ values, NewsNation political contributor George Will said.  

“She’s attempting to lower the temperature, and I think that’s what Americans of various stripes and persuasions want,” Will said.

During the first GOP debate in August, Haley called for consensus on abortion policy.

Despite describing herself as “unapologetically pro-life,” Haley said the GOP needs to stop “demonizing” abortion and be honest about how hard it would be to enact a federal ban.

The messaging comes as about 28% of registered voters say they’re reserving their vote for candidates for major offices who share their position on abortion, a July Gallup poll found.

The majority of Americans, about 85%, believe abortion should be legal under at least certain circumstances.

About 69% say it should be legal in the first trimester. Fewer people — 37% — believe it should be legal in the second trimester, and 22% say it should be legal in the third, according to Gallup’s findings.

Taking a more conservative approach, however, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dug his heels into a six-week abortion ban he signed into law earlier this year. Such a restrictive measure may stray too far from what some Republican voters are comfortable with, Will said.

“DeSantis has impaled himself firmly on six weeks, which is, I think, ruinous politically,” Will said.

The majority of Americans oppose laws that would “ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy,” according to Gallup’s polling.

While a moderate stance on choice may be appropriate for Republicans in a general election, in a primary, “an overwhelming majority of Republican, binary voters are extremely anti-choice,” NewsNation political contributor Chris Hahn said.

“In states where you have a swing or a more moderate or progressive electorate, Republicans are going to have a very difficult time on this issue,” he said.

People on either side of the issue have continued to push for policy changes state-by-state ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

While voters succeeded in protecting access to care in red states including Kansas, Kentucky and Montana, other states were quick to enact trigger laws already in place in anticipation of an eventual reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Fourteen states have made abortion illegal.