Republicans Say They Could Take Over House From Pro-Abortion Democrats
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 21, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — On the heels of the enthusiasm generated from gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia last year and the special Senate election in Massachusetts this week, Republican 2010 election leaders say they think they could wrest control of the House from pro-abortion Democrats.
With Republican candidate Scott brown defeating pro-abortion Democratic candidate Martha Coakley in one of the most liberal states in the country, Republicans are buoyed about their election prospects.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a pro-life California Republican who heads the party’s House election efforts appeared jubilant in a new interview with The Hill.
“Can we win the majority? Yes we can,” he said.
He and House GOP Whip Eric Cantor offered optimistic remarks today as they talked with reporters about the coming mid-term elections.
Most political observers suggest pro-abortion Democrats will lose seats in the November elections, and they say the question is a matter of whether they will lose enough for pro-life advocates to take back control of the House.
There are 257 Democrats in the House compared to 178 Republicans — which suggests a massive landslide is needed to replace pro-abortion House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But with a win in Massachusetts — which saw Brown carry seven of the 10 congressional districts, all of which are currently represented by Democrats — the GOP leaders said that appears more doable now.
“He carried [Democratic Rep.] Barney Frank’s district,” McCarthy said. “It tells me at a macro level that we have the ability to win the majority.”’
Candidate recruitment plays a part in determining the outcome and McCarthy said several Democrats have retired in districts where Republicans can win. He also noted that his recruitment efforts are paying dividends.
Most Republican candidates tend to be pro-life while most Democrats tend to support abortion. Although that is not always the case, the leadership of the parties in the House conforms to that traditional partisan split on abortion.
The House leadership matters on pro-life issues as a pro-abortion health care bill would not come up for a vote under a Republican House.
Also, Republicans would allow votes on pro-life legislation to stop abortions whereas Democrats have prevented pro-life advocates from getting votes to stop abortion and abortion funding.
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