Republican Predicts Senate Gains, Thinks Pro-Abortion Democrats Keep Chamber
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 14, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Senate Republican who heads the party’s efforts to elect GOP members of the Senate says he thinks the party will make gains in this November’s elections, but believes the pro-abortion Democrats who currently control the chamber will keep control of it until 2012.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn tells CQ he sees nothing on the horizon that would shift the momentum away from the GOP candidates who appear poised to join him in the Senate.
"I don’t think anything that happens here, for example, over the next few weeks, can make things any better for the Democrats. It could make things worse," he said. "I think the trend line has been pretty consistent and is not going to change much between now and November."
Yet, Cornyn told CQ he doesn’t think Republicans will win enough seats to give them a majority — and the ability to stop President Barack Obama’s pro-abortion agenda — until the 2012 presidential elections.
Even if the pro-life lawmakers who lead the Republican Party in the Senate are unable to take control of the chamber, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes they will have a better ability to use the filibuster to stop some of the pro-abortion agenda Obama and his Democratic allies have promoted during his first two years in office.
“What is fundamental to the Senate is the requirement of the supermajority vote for most things. That makes it the most unique institution in the world,” McConnell told Politico.
He said he believes many of the new members added to the Senate would have a "broad respect" for the importance of the filibuster as it pertains to the rights of the minority.
The political web site RealClear Politics currently projects Republicans will pick up 8 Senate seats but ultimately Democrats will control 51 seats to 49 for the GOP.
Some of the pickups RCP projects include pro-life candidates Ken Buck in Colorado, Arkansas’ John Boozman, Dan Coats in Indiana, John Hoeven in North Dakota, and Dino Rossi in Washington state.
Republicans could bring the Senate to a 50-50 tie or attain a majority if they could also pick up seats in California, where pro-life candidate Carly Fiorina has been shown leading in some polls; Nevada, where pro-life candidate Sharron Angle is essentially tied with pro-abortion Harry Reid; and Wisconsin, where pro-life Republican candidates Ron Johnson and Dave Westlake need to finish a primary election before taking on pro-abortion Sen. Russ Feingold in what will be a close race.
RCP believes pro-life Republican candidates will win or keep seats in Republican hands in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and North Carolina.
Republicans, although the nominee may not be pro-life, could potentially pick up seats in Illinois and Delaware as well.
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