WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The conclusions to several key primary races on Tuesday had implications for the pro-life cause.
In Pennsylvania, former abortion facility director and former Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz lost in the Democrat gubernatorial primary race against Tom Wolfe. Wolfe is also pro-abortion — his website says that he will “stand with women … who are fighting backwards legislation signed into law by Governor Corbett that restricts a woman’s right to make her own personal health care decisions.” But Schwartz was backed by Planned Parenthood and EMILY's List. She founded and directed an abortion clinic for 13 years, from 1975 to 1988, and in 2012 compared the Sandy Hook shooting to the murders of abortionists.
Georgia's crowded GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate seat saw businessman David Perdue garner the most support, with longtime Congressman Jack Kingston close behind. The two men will face each other in a runoff.
The race had pro-life Georgians and outside groups split, with pro-life Rep. Paul Broun — who got 9.6 percent of the vote, in fifth place — getting the backing of Georgia Right to Life. Influential blogger Erick Erickson backed Karen Handel, who supports some exceptions when it comes to abortion. Kingston has regularly received 100 percent rankings from the National Right to Life Committee, as well as zero percent ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Perdue has said that he supports exceptions when it comes to abortion. “This is not a black and white issue. We need to protect innocent life, but there are situations where I think common sense needs to play,” according to the businessman.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, easily won his primary, and will face off against his Democratic opponent, Allison Grimes. McConnell is considered surprisingly vulnerable to being beaten, though he has a pro-life voting record, decades of history with his state as a senator, and an enormous war chest.
Monica Wehby, a pro-abortion Republican, beat Jason Conger in their primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Oregon. Conger supported “exceptions,” which made him more acceptable to pro-life activists than Wehby and won him the backing of Oregon Right to Life.
Wehby won the race despite accusations that she had stalked an ex-boyfriend.