Leading 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates Take Pro-Life Abortion Stance
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 7, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — For the tens of millions of pro-life Americans upset by the results of Tuesday night’s presidential election, their eyes are already set on 2012 knowing that Barack Obama will compile a pro-abortion record. The good news is that leading contenders for the Republican nomination are strongly pro-life.
In the 2008 race, the pro-life community had to defeat initial frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, who took a clear pro-abortion stance.
They also had to grapple with Mitt Romney’s abortion flip-flop and determine if the former Massachusetts governor had an authentic change of hear or it he had come around due to political expediency.
Apart from Romney, the most obvious possible 2012 contender is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Harassed by the mainstream media and personally attacked by abortion advocates, Palin roused a slumbering pro-life movement and millions of pro-life voters who were lukewarm on Senator John McCain.
Palin not only takes a pro-life stance but put her beliefs in practice by deciding against an abortion when she found out her son Trig would be born with Down Syndrome.
The Palin family also won kudos for supporting their pregnant daughter Bristol when she announced she was pregnant and would marry her boyfriend.
Aside from Palin, Romney and former candidate and Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who else could fill the presidential slot to take on an Obama re-election campaign?
Interestingly, the list includes other governors who could bring an outsider’s perspective to Washington and a pro-life view to boot.
Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal and South Carolina’s Mark Sanford are already both well known within pro-life circles but have proven their pro-life credentials.
Sanford may have an advantage by hailing from a presidential primary state. Jindal impresses political observers with his intelligence, his reform of the health care system in Louisiana, handling the crisis of a hurricane, and for giving the GOP a non-white option on the presidential ticket as an Indian-American.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is another rising star within the GOP and is said to have been the second choice behind Palin for McCain’s vice-presidential nominee.
Pawlenty has thoroughly advocated the pro-life cause as governor and could help Republicans capture Minnesota and perform well in other industrial midwestern states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana — all of which went for Obama on Tuesday.
Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, who is now chairman of GOPAC, is another dark horse. He is strongly pro-life and is an African-American, but lost a race for the Senate and that could be seen as a downfall.
Another dark horse is Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, a pro-life congressman who is well-respected in conservative circles and rising fast in the leadership in the House of Representatives.
Looking back on the 2008 candidates, Huckabee has made a detour of sorts by hosting a new television talk show on Fox News, but doing so keeps his name in the lights, increases his name-ID and keeps him "in the game" since his tenure as governor is complete.
Romney is building his political action committee to help candidates for Congress in 2010.
Sam Brownback is considering a run for governor in Kansas in 2010 that could serve as a stepping stone for another presidential bid in 2012 or 2016 or a potential vice-presidential slot.
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
