This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: August 6, 2008 - Last night's primary election saw the opening moves of a new battle taking place among the Republican Party's pro-life constituency.
The scuffle is brewing between Missouri Right to Life (MRL), the long-established standard bearer of the pro-life political community and Missourians United for Life (MUL), a new upstart group with the implicit backing of the Republican Party leadership.
Last night was the first time that voters faced their dueling endorsements.
Here's the back story: Over the past two legislative sessions, MRL has alienated a number of Republicans who are disgruntled with MRL's vote-rating system. MRL chooses key votes over the course of the session to determine how the legislators rank in their adherence to the pro-life agenda.
These used to be simple votes on abortion bills before the legislators, but the rise of the issue of research involving embryonic stem cells has muddied the waters. Neither MRL or MUL favors such research. Both oppose it. But MRL has "rated" a number of votes that are only tangentially related. For example, some votes involved the sale of the assets belonging to MOHELA (the Missouri Higher Education Lending Authority). MRL feared these assets would be used to build wet labs that might house such research. Others are appropriation bills, which trouble MRL for the same reason.
Some stalwart Republicans bristle at MRL's rating budgetary votes, which are often party-line votes. Indeed the MRL ratings system has produced some head-scratching results, with avowed pro-choice legislators like Sen. Joan Bray, D-University City, scoring higher than dedicated pro-life legislators like Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville.
Republican leadership now routinely tells members not to fill out the MRL survey. They say, if you plan to vote for the Republican budget, MRL will count that against you, so you might as well not even go there.
Enter the Missourians United for Life. MUL was founded, among other people, by Ed Martin, formerly Matt Blunt's chief of staff. Martin brings two strengths: First, he has impeccable pro-life credentials; second, his experience gives him first-hand perspective of the legislators' gripes about MRL.
But the biggest difference is that MUL isn't penalizing legislators for budget votes. In fact, if their voting record is good on life issues, MUL gives legislators an endorsement with "special distinction."
So in yesterday's 7th Senate District, MRL went with Gina Loudon, who as a new candidate had no legislative record but filled out the questionnaire correctly. In the process, it passed over state Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-West St. Louis County, who, though pro-life by anyone's definition, had "bad" budget votes. MUL backed Cunningham with special distinction.
In the 9th congressional primary, MRL endorsed Blaine Luetkemeyer of St. Elizabeth, a former state rep, over Rep. Bob Onder, R-Lake St. Louis, owing to votes Onder made to authorize Gov. Matt Blunt’s sale of MOHELA assets. MUL responded by endorsing Onder, again with special distinction.
Voters chose Cunningham and Luetkemeyer making yesterday's vote a split decision. But this fight has just started.
Pro-life Republicans who are disenchanted with MRL talk about MUL in expansive terms. For example, they imagine MUL establishing a more robust voter ID program and a better-funded PAC. Such enhancements would bring political weight to the pro-life endorsement instead of simply a name that's added to a candidates' literature.
And with the extra weight, it might push MRL out of the top billing of pro-life political advocacy groups.
Dave Drebes runs Missouri Scout, a private news service covering state politics.