Congressional Magazine Predicts Tough 2010 Election Cycle for Pro-Life Advocates
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 10, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — While Barack Obama’s takeover of the White House in the 2008 election was the big pro-abortion victory for the cycle, abortion advocates got another victory. They increased their numbers in the House and Senate, which has made it virtually impossible for pro-life advocates to stop their agenda.
Numerous pro-life amendments, for example, to the health care bill have lost on narrow margins — even with the support of pro-life Democrats.
Several political observers note little help is on the way — including the Congressional publication Hotline, which has produced a new analysis of the mid-term elections.
Hotline says Republicans have improved their chances in 2010 but "the inescapable math is that Republicans now have six open Senate seats, five of which are likely to be competitive, whereas Democrats have only two, only one of which is certain to be contested."
That doesn’t include the May 2010 special election in Texas for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who will resign from the Senate later this year.
The races in which Republicans may fare well involve pro-abortion candidates — including Mark Kirk in Illinois and a candidate in Connecticut who will likely face abortions. In New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte is running but she is not regarded as pro-life.
Top pro-life races for 2010 include Missouri Senate candidate Rep. Roy Blunt; pro-life former Rep. Rob Portman, who is running in Ohio; pro-life Rep. Pat Toomey, who may face pro-abortion ex-GOP Sen. Arlen Specter; North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, who will face a tough re-election bid; and pro-life Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who may also face a tough challenge.
Pro-life advocates will also have to defend a Senate seat in Kentucky, and Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is not as strongly pro-life as retiring Sen. Mel Martinez, will likely become the next senator in Florida.
A Colorado race involving new pro-abortion Sen. Michael Bennett could provide another pickup opportunity for pro-life advocates in 2010, but Bennett is building strong ties in the state and has been aggressively fundraising.
On the House side, Hotline projects a few Republican pickups but, as with the Senate, there is little hope for pro-life advocates to retake the chamber or build their numbers significantly.
Hotline says its list of most likely pickups "offers hope for both parties."
"First, Republicans occupy the top part of this list, meaning Democrats have the best shot at pickup opportunities early this cycle. But Democrats fill out most of the rest of the list, meaning Republicans been able to expand the playing field a bit," the publication says.
The most likely projection at this point for the 2010 election cycle is that pro-life advocates will gain some seats in the House and break even in the Senate.
With the strong pro-abortion numbers already in the chamber, that likely means President Barack Obama will be able to continue promoting abortion unabated until the pro-life community works on defeating him in the 2012 presidential election.
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