Pro-life Voters Backed Schwarzenegger in California Recall
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 9, 2003
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — Despite his pro-abortion position on abortion and pro-life groups supporting another candidate in the California recall election exit polling data released Wednesday by Fox News shows that most pro-life voters selected pro-abortion actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace pro-abortion Gov. Gray Davis.
Among those who said abortion should be illegal in most cases, Schwarzenegger won 62 percent to McClintock’s 18 percent. Even among voters who said abortion should be illegal in all cases, Schwarzenegger lead McClintock with 45-24 percent.
The California Pro-Life Council and other pro-life groups endorsed pro-life state Sen. Tom McClintock, who received 13 percent of the vote.
"Conservatives, the largest voter bloc in the recall election, are overwhelmingly pro-life and pro-family," Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for California Families, said in a statement. "They didn’t vote for Arnold’s morally liberal values. They voted for Arnold because they saw him as the one who could kick out Gray Davis."
"Gray Davis was the most ardently pro-abortion elected official to ever hold public office in the United States. The abortion lobby said so, and the facts bear that out," added Brian Johnston, director of the California Pro-Life Council.
While McClintock took a pro-life position and had the endorsements of such pro-life leaders as James Dobson and Alan Keyes, Schwarzenegger said he supported abortion. However, Schwarzenegger also said he supported some pro-life legislation such as parental notification and a ban on partial-birth abortions.
With his position in favor of some pro-life legislation, Johnston said "he has taken a significant break from the monolithic abortion lobby."
Johnston said key pro-life legislators are pledging to help Schwarzenegger and provide him with advice and he hopes they will encourage him to support pro-life legislation and sign it if passed by the legislature.
"The election of Arnold Schwarzenegger is not a rejection of pro-life, pro-family values," Thomasson added. He suggested the election had more to do with other controversial California political issues and the voters’ overwhelming desire to replace Davis.
Thomasson agreed that pro-life voters will be watching Schwarzenegger to see how he handles abortion issues during his term.
