Minnesota GOP candidate who once said he'd 'try to ban abortion' now declares it a 'constitutional right' while holding a baby as he trails in the polls

• A Minnesota GOP candidate for governor is backtracking on abortion as election day approaches.
• Scott Jensen told MPR News in March that he would "try to ban abortion" but now says its a state right.

After previously saying he'd try to ban abortion, a Minnesota GOP candidate for governor is changing his tone as election day approaches and an apparent backlash against the anti-abortion movement surges.

In March, Scott Jensen, a family physician and the GOP candidate for governor, told MPR News that he would "try to ban abortion" if he was elected.

But in a new political ad released on Tuesday, Jensen holds baby and wears a burp cloth as he says abortion is a "protected constitutional right" in Minnesota and that "no governor can change that."

"And I'm not running to do that," Jensen says in the ad. Adding, "let's focus on the issues that matter" and accusing his Democratic opponent of using abortion as a political football.

The views Jensen shares in his latest ad are a stark contrast to what he said in the MPR News interview. In March, he told the outlet "there is no reason for us to be having abortions going out."

The outlet asked whether Jensen wanted restrictions on abortion or supported a ban; he supported a ban.

"And we're saying no, if mom changes your mind, she can go ahead and slice and dice it and be done with it," Jensen said in the interview earlier this year, referencing rare late-term abortions. "I don't think that's where we want to be."

Jensen still identifies as anti-abortion in a video on his website explaining his view on abortion.

But, his spokesperson told Insider he recognizes there's "nothing a governor can do," since Minnesota's Supreme Court has been clear that restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional in the state.

In an interview with CBS Minnesota, Jensen tried to make the case that abortion shouldn't be on voters' minds in the election.

"Abortion is not on the ballot because it's already a protected constitutional right for all women," Jensen said. "As governor, I'm there to enforce the law not pick and choose which ones I want to enforce."

He also said he believes if a pregnant person's health is endangered, or in cases of rape or incest, abortions should be allowed.

With election day two months away, Jensen has fallen about 10 points behind Tim Walz, the Democratic incumbent, according to an aggregation of polls from FiveThirtyEight. A recent poll by SurveyUSA that ended September 4 showed an even bigger deficit: Jensen trailed by 18 points, his worst poll of the cycle.

Jensen is among the Republicans grappling with the aftermath of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, which has caused abortion rights activists to organize and turn out.

In Kansas, a referendum banning abortion was rejected by voters in a landslide with people showing up to the polls in record numbers, concerning some Republicans.

Since then, some GOP strategists have recommended candidates stray away from the abortion issue and instead stick to safer talking points, like inflation.