Republican congressional candidate Matt Gunderson’s first campaign television ad focused on abortion. “On a woman’s right to choose, I’m pro-choice,” he says in the ad. “I believe abortion should be safe, legal and rare.” His second ad also leads with abortion. “Matt Gunderson and Mike Levin. Both are pro-choice,” says the narrator, who then delineates differences between the two on other issues. In an interview, Gunderson said this takes abortion “off the table” in the campaign. Not if incumbent Mike Levin has anything to do with it. A Levin television ad points out Gunderson in 2022 opposed California’s Proposition 1, which enshrined state law protecting abortion rights in the state constitution. The state’s law, which remains in place, specifically mentions that people have the right to an abortion “prior to viability of the fetus,” but Gunderson said he opposed the constitutional amendment because it didn’t include that language. The Levin ad also states Gunderson had been endorsed in a previous campaign by the California Pro-Life Council, “which opposes all abortions with no exceptions,” and that Planned Parenthood endorsed Levin. Gunderson said he wants abortion law left up to each state. “I’m a state’s rights guy,” he said. That is the abortion position of former President Donald Trump and what the reality has been since the Supreme Court two years ago overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that gave constitutional protection to abortion rights. “You cannot be pro-choice when you believe states have the right to ban all abortions,” Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said in an interview, adding that more than 40 percent of U.S. women live in states with some form of abortion ban. Levin, like many Democrats, wants the original Roe decision to be codified in federal statute to apply uniformly across the nation. Gunderson doesn’t support that, but recently has said he wouldn’t vote for a nationwide abortion ban, either. That Gunderson took the initiative on abortion is another example of just how vexing an issue it can be for Republicans in competitive races — even for those who take a pro-choice stance. The 49th Congressional District straddles the San Diego-Orange County line along the coast, and includes some communities farther inland. It seems as purple a district as they come, with Democrats having just a 2.6 percent advantage in voter registration over Republicans, with 22 percent of voters declaring “no party preference.” The bulk of the voting population lives in the San Diego County portion of the district. Both candidates claim the political middle ground, while their opponent paints them as either an extreme liberal (Gunderson’s depiction of Levin) or an extreme conservative (what Levin says about Gunderson). Levin, who has been an environmental attorney, has authored some bills with bipartisan support, particularly regarding veterans issues. He is seeking a fourth term in the House of Representatives. Gunderson, owner of car dealerships, refers to himself as a businessman and outsider. Gunderson ran for office a few times when he lived in Wisconsin and in 2022 he ran for California state Senate, where he was narrowly defeated by Democrat Catherine Blakespear. The 49th is considered competitive, but isn’t usually mentioned among the top battleground districts in California, or across the nation, that could determine which party holds the House majority. The widely-followed Cook Political Report labeled the district “likely Democrat.” Still, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee early on listed Levin as among its vulnerable incumbents. The National Republican Congressional Committee put Gunderson in its “Young Gun” program, which seeks to boost GOP candidates in competitive districts. Abortion may have dominated recent advertisements, but during an hour-plus forum in Oceanside on Monday the two candidates spent most of the time sparring on a plethora of other issues, with abortion coming up only at the end. Other significant differences emerged. Among the highlights: Taxes: Gunderson supported extending the Trump tax cuts. Levin only backed doing so for middle- and lower-income people, not for the wealthy and corporations. Gunderson also called for cutting gas taxes. Immigration: Levin supported the current asylum and border restrictions recently enacted by President Joe Biden and the bipartisan, Republican-authored Senate bill for enforcement resources and asylum limits that was blocked at the urging of Trump. Gunderson urged returning to Trump-era policies, including the “Remain in Mexico” program. He dismissed the Senate bill as politics and said Levin did not support a tough House border bill, HR 2, that the Republican maintained was bipartisan. No House Democrat voted for the measure, however. Gunderson said there needs to be a “conversation” about a bill giving relief to DACA recipients — so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to the United States illegally as children and whose temporary legal status is threatened by lawsuits. Levin said, “We need to pass the Dream Act.” Inflation: Gunderson blamed inflation on regulations and other actions supported by Levin and the Biden-Harris administration. He suggested cutting taxes and red tape, among other things, to improve the economy. Levin noted inflation has dropped dramatically, but acknowledged many prices are still too high. He said certain corporations have to be held accountable for what he called unreasonable profits and that some companies should no longer get tax breaks. He has further warned that Trump’s sweeping plan to enact high tariffs on foreign goods will hurt the U.S. economy and consumers, something many economists agree with. Energy: Gunderson said the U.S. must increase fossil fuel production and stop relying on foreign sources. He said the U.S. can’t move too fast to transition to clean energy while China and Russia continue to expand use of fossil fuels. Levin said the country is producing more oil under the Biden administration than it did under Trump. But he said the country must wean itself off fossil fuels to help climate change and become more energy independent. Levin said the U.S. must lead on clean energy, which he said will create the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century, and not wait for other countries to act. Nuclear power: Gunderson said nuclear power should be expanded in California. Levin didn’t oppose that in the long run, but said no more nuclear plants should be built until the federal government can resolve what to do about radioactive waste, like the stockpile that remains at the site of the shuttered San Onofre plant. There are some clear distinctions on several issues. Abortion may be more nuanced. “I’m not like any Republican Mike Levin has faced before. I’m pro-choice,” Gunderson said. We’ll see if that makes a difference in November.