Forgot your password?
New user?
Document Actions
Kansas Liberty: 25 June 2009
Thune comes out for Moran. Tiahrt wins important endorsements from Kansans for Life and the Family Research Council.
Moran and Tiahrt, running neck and neck, pick up key endorsements
The primary campaign for the GOP nomination to fill Sam Brownback's Senate seat heated up considerably Thursday when congressmen Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt each picked up a key endorsement today.
The Kansans for Life Federal Political Action Committee announced its endorsement of Tiahrt, while South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, who was today named the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, announced his endorsement of Moran.
“Now, when the stakes are so high for our country, Jerry Moran’s principled leadership and conservative voice are needed in the U.S. Senate.” Thune said in a statement. “Jerry will bring a much-needed vote of common sense for fiscal responsibility, fighting terrorism and deciding the future of our judiciary.”
Kansans for Life cited Tiahrt’s 100 percent pro-life voting record during his time as both a congressman and a state senator, and his “depth of knowledge” on life issues as reasons for their endorsement.
According to a statement from Kansans for Life, “The KFL Federal PAC believes it is especially important for the next U.S. senator from Kansas to possess these qualities given the current administration's determination to remove any and all federal and state regulation of abortion. Rep. Tiahrt's leadership will also be critical to fighting the administration's promotion of embryo-destructive stem cell research, as well as their support for policies favoring the rationing of health care.”
Tiahrt’s wife, Vicki, had once been a volunteer for Kansans for Life, but Executive Director Mary Kay Culp said this was not the reason the PAC decided to endorse Tiahrt, and instead viewed the fact that Tiahrt’s wife was also an active pro-life supporter as an added bonus to the endorsement decision.
“We picked him because it is going to take someone with real knowledge and real resolve to stand up to what the Obama administration and the national abortion industry — that seems to be controlling Obama — have in store for the next four years,” Culp told Kansas Liberty.
“I am obviously very pleased to receive this very important endorsement,” said Tiahrt in a statement. “Kansans for Life is the gold standard when it comes to grassroots, pro-life organizations dedicated to the sanctity of life. Their endorsement means a great deal to me personally, but it is also a great boost for our campaign in this Republican primary.”
A few hours after the national KFL political action committee announcement, the Family Research Council Action PAC also announced its endorsement of Tiahrt.
"We need senators who will fight to defend the family against the radical leadership in the Senate. We are confident in Congressman Tiahrt's ability to do that," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
"Todd has been a leader in the fight to protect the unborn," Perkins said. "He has led in the fight to keep taxpayer dollars from funding abortion. He was a co-sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act. This year he led the fight and continues to lead the fight against the stimulus bill."
Both candidates have respectable credentials as pro-life Republicans, although in a match-up of votes and support, Tiahrt emerges with a better record. According to Project Vote Smart, in 2008 both Moran and Tiahrt supported Planned Parenthood issues 0 percent of the time.
For 2007-2008 the National Right to Life Committee gave Moran a rating of 85, while Tiahrt received a rating of 100.
In 2005-2006, the NRL Committee said both Moran and Tiahrt support NRL positions 100 percent of the time. In 2003-2004 Moran supported the NRL 91 percent of the time, while Tiahrt scored a 100 percent.
A Survey USA poll released earlier this month showed Moran with a small lead over Tiahrt, with Moran getting 40 percent of the vote and Tiahrt getting 38 percent. The survey included a margin of sampling error of about 4.7 percent.
According to the survey:
- Twenty-two percent of the respondents said they were undecided.
- Out of the respondents who considered themselves as “conservatives,” 34 percent supported Moran while 44 percent supported Tiahrt.
- Out of the respondents who considered themselves “pro-life,” 32 percent supported Moran, while 44 percent supported Tiahrt.
- Out of the respondents who considered themselves “pro-choice,” 53 percent supported Moran, while 30 percent supported Tiahrt.
According to a statement released by the Moran campaign, he holds a two-to-one fundraising advantage over Tiahrt, but he is still urging supporters to send donations and cited June 30, next Tuesday, as a "crucial fundraising deadline" for his campaign.
Federal Election Commission rules say June 30 marks the end of the second financial quarter for candidates, and all contributions to be counted for that quarter must be in on or before that date. The next quarter ends in September.
In a response to KFL’s decision to endorse Tiahrt, Moran’s campaign manager, Aaron Trost, pointed out that Moran has received support from the pro-life community in the form of other endorsements.
"Congressman Jerry Moran has consistently voted for legislation that protects the lives of the unborn,” Trost told Kansas Liberty. “He is pro-life, pro-family and has earned the trust of Kansans on these important issues. Moreover, Congressman Moran secured the endorsement of one of the most courageous pro-life voices in the U.S. Senate - Sen. Tom Coburn. We feel very good about our support among the pro-life community."
But some Moran staffers have not always been supportive of conservatives, however. A former Moran spokesman, Ryan Wright, went on to become executive director of Kansans for a Traditional Republican Majority.
In the last cycle of primary elections, KTRM and Wright falsely charged conservative candidates, including former Congressman Jim Ryun, of being associated with the Ku Klux Klan and of wanting to prohibit medical care for sick children. The group paid for direct mail pieces and advertisements containing similar messages and funded opposition to conservative candidates, sometimes with the support of the Senate Leadership PAC.
When Kansas Liberty asked about Moran's view of Wright's activities, the congressman's office had no comment. Moran has not publicly distanced himself from Wright.
- Holly Smith
Resources:
- Tiahrt for Senate
- Moran for Senate
http://www.moranforkansas.com/news
- Survey USA poll
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=b3d19e14-c0c6-4bf9-9820-a605c88f57f8
- Project Vote Smart report on Moran
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=542&type=category&category=2
- Project Vote Smart report on Tiahrt
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=21953&type=category&category=2
State sovereignty bill passes House, tax debate scheduled for tomorrow