Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee Reject Third Party Pro-Life Approach 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 5, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — That a handful of pro-life advocates are considering a third party bid for president next year holds no attraction for former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Both Republican presidential candidates have worked to attract pro-life voters and say they won’t look to third party bids.
Huckabee, who served as governor of Arkansas, told the Washington Post on Thursday that he would not seek or accept an invitation to run as a third-party presidential candidate from Christian conservative leaders.
"No, I think a third party only helps elect Hillary [Clinton]," Huckabee said of the pro-abortion New York senator.
"I don’t see that being a good strategy for those who really care about pushing a pro-family, pro-life agenda," he added. If they want to do that, the smart thing to do is coalesce their support around Mike Huckabee. If they do that, I’ll become the nominee, I’ll win the White House."
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has worked to increase his focus on attracting pro-life voters, especially in light of his conversion to the pro-life position only a couple years ago.
Romney last week met with about 200 members of the conservative Council for National Policy and assured them of his opposition to abortion.
Romney spokesperson Kevin Madden told AP, "As Governor Romney has repeatedly made clear, like many other Republicans including Ronald Reagan, he wasn’t always pro-life."
"Governor Romney has said he was wrong and hopes he never stops learning from his mistakes or trying to do what’s right," Madden added.
Meanwhile, Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom told the Boston Globe that Christian voters Romney "may not agree on theology, but they share in common values like protecting the sanctity of life."
Gary Bauer, a chairman of Campaign for Working Families and former GOP candidate himself, has said a third party bid "would do nothing other than deliver the White House on a silver platter" to Clinton.
