Carly Fiorina, the pro-life Senate candidate in California, is nearly tied with pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. The two candidates have been fighting it out abortion, and Boxer’s support of taxpayer funding of it, since the race began.
Rasmussen says the Senate contest “remains a virtual tie with less than two weeks to go until Election Day.”
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of likely California voters finds Boxer picking up 48% of the vote, while Fiorina draws support from 46%. Three percent prefer another candidate and another three percent are still undecided.
Last week, Boxer led Fiorina 49% to 46% in the latest Rasmussen poll and, looking back to September, when Fiorina essentially tied the longtime abortion champion, Boxer has held a steady lead of about two to five percent.
Now, the polling data shows the race tightening again as Fiorina has steadily whittled away at Boxer’s lead. Boxer is under 50 percent and has never crossed that threshold — which gives Fiorina a chance to make a difference with undecided voters.
As Rasmussen notes: “Boxer was reelected with 58% of the vote in 2004, but despite California’s strong Democratic tendencies, this race has been close all year. The incumbent, who is seeking her fourth six-year term, has held a small lead in every survey but one since February with 42% to 49% of the vote. Fiorina, a former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, has earned 38% to 47% support in those same surveys.”
Boxer is getting some last-minute campaign help from pro-abortion groups that support taxpayer funding of abortions.
EMILY’s List, has launched a new independent expenditure effort that focuses on Fiorina’s former tenure as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard rather than her pro-life views.
“This race is a dead heat for one reason and one reason alone: women voters don’t have the information they need about Carly Fiorina,” EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock said in a statement.
The donations to Boxer’s campaign follow a news conference last week where Boxer attacked Fiorina.
“Make no mistake about it, a woman’s right to choose is on the ballot in California this year,” Boxer said during a news conference, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Fiorina, for her part, has pointed out how Boxer and her campaign have been trying to draw California voters’ attention away from her “track record of failure.”
“I understand that not everyone agrees with my views on the sanctity of life, but this is a typical, divisive attempt to distract from the issues that are important in this race,” Fiorina said, according to the Times. “Wherever people stand on that issue — the most important issue that we have to deal with right now is jobs — 2.2 million people out of work.”
Fiorina has the backing of the pro-life women’s group Susan B. Anthony List. [related]
SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com her group is excited to weigh in on the race.
“We’ve been waiting for Carly Fiorina for a long time–in fact, since the day Barbara Boxer was elected to the U.S. Senate,” she said. “Senator Boxer is one of the most aggressive champions of abortion rights and is endorsed by EMILY’s List.”
The California Pro-Life Council also backs Fiorina.
