Republican tried to force repeal vote on Arizona abortion ban. Then he shut down the vote

After denying it all day Friday, Rep. Matt Gress agreed video footage showed he voted to shut down debate on his attempt to repeal Arizona's Civil War-era abortion ban.

The Phoenix Republican’s reversal came after The Arizona Republic shared with him news footage of Wednesday's floor session, where Gress' actions were loudly condemned by Democrats as hypocritical and helped fuel a loud and angry protest shaming Republicans for not taking up the repeal vote.

“It does appear I voted aye," Gress said in an early evening call on Friday. "I don’t remember voting aye ― my (GOP) colleagues would be surprised," he said. They were surprised and angry that he wanted to broach repeal of a law that just the day before had been upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court, he said.

Earlier Friday, Gress denied he voted to pause debate on his own proposal. He said video from KPNX-TV Channel 12 that appeared to show him voting "aye" was actually him muttering to himself when the call for a recess happened.

He also insisted that he voted "no," although the video shows Gress is close-mouthed during the call for no votes.

He called the attention to the video "unfair" and called the attempts to contradict his story a "partisan attack and a lie.”

Gress reversed himself later after he said he was able to view a clearer version of the video.

He noted after the House returned from the recess approved by Republicans, he voted against adjourning for the day. That, he said, showed his intent to pursue a repeal immediately.

Rep. Nancy Gutierrez, D-Tucson, was one of the loudest critics of Gress' actions.

"He is changing his stance on the abortion bill because it benefits him politically," she said Friday. "He is a pro-life Republican who is afraid he's going to lose his seat."

Gress' actions have drawn intense scrutiny. Democrats were offended he tried to champion a repeal bill that was written by Democratic Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton of Tucson.

They charged Gress was a hypocrite to portray himself as a defender of women's reproductive rights when he sponsored bills last year that they viewed as recognizing fetuses as people. Gress differs with their interpretation.

They also noted he represents a crucial swing district and is facing fierce Democratic opposition this fall.

One of his eventual Democratic opponents is Karen Gresham, who defeated him in a race for the Madison Elementary School Board. The other is long-serving Democrat Kelli Butler, who is making a comeback bid in a Phoenix and Scottsdale district that she represented before redistricting juggled the boundaries.

Gress said he wanted to start the discussion Wednesday on repealing the law, rather than defer to the Democrat who sponsored the repeal bill, because it was important to show GOP leadership.

“I think it’s important to show the state of Arizona that Republicans are concerned about this territorial law," he said. "We are the majority party and we need to show some leadership in this.”

Gress told The Arizona Republic the House will vote to repeal the 1864 bill when it meets Wednesday. He reiterated that prediction in an interview on CNN. Gress said he is talking with Stahl Hamilton about who would make the motion to bring House Bill 2677 up for a vote.

“I don’t care who gets the credit," he said. "It needs to get done. I brought it forward because it’s an issue of great urgency.”

Protection vowed: It's OK to help someone get an out-of-state abortion, Arizona governor says

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ abortion ban: Republican who moved to repeal helped shut down vote