Indiana: Pro-Life Richard Mourdock Defeats Sen. Dick Lugar

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 8, 2012   |   8:08PM   |   Indianapolis, IN

Upset by his lack of commitment to conservative and pro-life principles, Republican voters in Indiana today defeated veteran Sen. Richard Lugar, who had served nearly four decades in politics. They replaced him with Richard Mourdock, a state treasurer who was supported by pro-life advocates for his solid pro-life principles.

The Indiana Right to Life PAC announced its endorsement of Richard Mourdock in April, citing Senator Lugar’s confirmation of activist federal judges including Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, his support for federal funding for embryo-killing research, and his support for McCain-Feingold free speech restrictions as reasons for Mourdock’s endorsement.

The PAC chairman, Mike Fichter, said Lugar, who had previously had a fairly solid pro-life record, weakened in recent years, such as in the case of voting to confirm Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court. Both are abortion advocates who are ready to keep unlimited abortions legal throughout pregnancy for any reason for another 39 years via Roe v. Wade.

“We believe Senator Lugar should be up front with voters in acknowledging that he has voted against Right to Life on some very high profile issues,” he said during the campaign. “Unlike Richard Lugar, who has twice voted with a majority of Senate Democrats to use federal dollars to pay for embryonic stem cell research that requires the killing of human embryos, Richard Mourdock will fight to see that not one dime of federal funding supports this type of research that is abhorrent to the pro-life community.”

Pro-life issues may have contributed to Murdock’s victory.

A May 4 Howey/DePauw Indiana Battleground Poll revealed the Indiana Right to Life PAC endorsement was the top influencer in helping voters decide who to support in the race.  According to the report, pollsters asked whether an endorsement would make voters more or less likely to vote for a candidate.

More Likely:

Indiana Right to Life 51%
Gov. Mitch Daniels 49%
NRA 46%
Tea Party 37%
Sarah Palin 32%
Business groups 29%

Less likely:

Sarah Palin 24%
Tea Party 20%
Gov. Mitch Daniels 18%
Business Groups 17%
Indiana Right to Life 12%

“This poll speaks volumes and confirms that the sanctity of life is a priority issue among Indiana voters,” states Indiana Right to Life PAC chairman Mike Fichter. “We are pleased to be the gold standard in political endorsements.”