This blog post is obsolete, and has been superseded by updated information accurate as of mid-October 2010, which can be accessed by clicking here.
All of the candidates discussed here have been approached on the subject of Personhood and Amendment 62, which will be on the Nov 2010 ballot. Candidate positions for major statewide or federal offices have been mostly established.
Personhood means support for the God-given Right to Life from the beginning of a human's biological development until natural death -- NO exceptions! It is CRTL's only real standard for judging a candidate's qualifications, though we do challenge candidates on several questions which relate closely to Personhood but which may be considered separate issues. Support for Colorado's Amendment 62 is an easy way to check if a candidate supports Personhood.
See the CRTL 2010 Candidate Questionnaire, which is used to judge the candidates' pro-life credentials.
CRTL will not and cannot support anyone who supports abortion for any reason. They are NOT "pro-life", they are "pro-death with exceptions". Many candidates say they are pro-life, but they are holding back critical "exceptions" where they are willing to see unborn children killed. Beware of these common tactics & lies.
The following is a comprehensive update of what CRTL knows about the major Colorado candidates for U.S. Senate and for Governor. This information supersedes any previous versions.
U.S. Senate
Republican Ken Buck opened communication with Colorado Right to Life early in the election season, and has replied to the CRTL candidate questionnaire with solid responses. He supports Amendment 62, the Personhood concept in general, and understands what's at stake. CRTL considers him 100% pro-life. It's not completely clear that he agrees with CRTL's position on abortion regulations, but he seems willing to dialogue on these issues and we look forward to discussing this with him again in the future.
Republican Jane Norton has declared her support for Amendment 62 also, and has a history as a pro-life leader. However, to the best of our knowledge she still supports abortions in cases of rape or incest. She has not publicly repudiated that stance, even though it conflicts with the Personhood of the unborn child. She expressed a willingness to have someone on her staff meet with CRTL on these issues, and if she is the nominee we would be glad to do so.
Democrats Michael Bennet and Andrew Romanoff both support abortion. In the absence of information to the contrary, we expect Libertarian candidates Maclyn Stringer and John Finger do also, as do most Libertarian candidates.
Colorado Governor
Republican Dan Maes has run as a pro-life, family values candidate, and has endorsed Personhood (Amendment 62) and signed the petition. He answered CRTL's Candidate Survey with strong pro-life answers, and when challenged on his early support for embryonic stem cell research he was willing to discuss the issue with us, and changed his mind. Subsequent mis-statements by him in the press caused us to question, but after meeting with him we are convinced his mistakes are more due to his unfamiliarity with some of the issues. We believe Dan Maes is sincere in his pro-life views, and believe he will support Personhood if it comes to his desk to sign. CRTL considers Dan Maes to be 100% pro-life.
Republican Scott McInnis, despite his claims during his campaign, did not have a solid pro-life record when he was in Congress, at one time voted for taxpayer funding for abortion, and even served as a prominent member of Republicans for Choice (Republicans for Abortion). He more-or-less acknowledges his past on the issue, and has said he has changed his mind after reflection as he has aged and learned more about life and family.
McInnis has not returned his candidate survey, but has agreed to meet with CRTL if he is the nominee. In a private phone conversation he repeated his public support for Amendment 62, the Personhood Amendment, and privately agreed to support a Personhood measure if it came across his desk. If he is the nominee, we look forward to meeting with him, and to seeing more public emphasis on his new pro-life views. CRTL remains skeptical of his conversion, not just because of his past record, but also because of more recent issues that throw question on his forthrightness.
American Constitution Party candidate Ben Goss has resigned from the campaign in order to make room for new candidate Tom Tancredo.
Formerly Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo has joined the American Constitution Party and is expected to become their new nominee for Governor -- a situation that follows developments with the McInnis campaign. As candidate Goss has noted, the Constitution Party carries the Personhood of the unborn child as part of its platform, and Tancredo would not have been allowed to put forth his candidacy without assurances of his support for Amendment 62, which we are assured have been made.
Tancredo's support for Personhood comes as no surprise to CRTL, as his record on pro-life issues has long been very strong. We look forward to a public announcement on Amendment 62, and to talking with him about other issues such as abortion regulations. CRTL considers Tom Tancredo to be 100% pro-life.
Democrat John Hickenlooper is known to be pro-abortion.
If you have any questions about either race, or any candidate, please feel free to contact Colorado Right to Life at 303-753-9394 or at office@coloradorighttolife.org.
Updates to CRTL surveys and information on candidates for the Colorado House and Senate will be forthcoming by this weekend. For the most part, the candidate information provided in May still holds true.
State House and Senate Primaries (GOP) of Note
There are some important House and Senate races where clearly pro-Personhood Republicans are facing Republican primary opponents who are known to be pro-abortion or whose positions are unknown (which likely means they are pro-choice) are these:
SD 2 (Canon City, south Pueblo, Walsenburg, Las Animas)
Kevin Grantham is considered 100% pro-life. His opponent (Matt Heimerich) is known to be pro-abortion.
SD 5 (Delta, Aspen, Gunnison, Buena Vista, Salida, Alamosa)
Wayne Wolf is considered 100% pro-life. His Republican opponent's views are unknown to us (Bob Rankin) but has been identified by some as a socially-moderate libertarian.
SD 6 (southwestern Colorado, including Montrose, Durango & Pagosa Springs)
Dean Boehler is considered 100% pro-life. We consider his Republican opponent (Ellen Roberts) the most pro-abortion Republican legislator.
HD 44 (Parker, Roxborough Park)
Chris Holbert is considered 100% pro-life. We have significant doubts about one of his primary opponents (David Casiano) and the other (Polly Lawrence) is on record opposing Amendment 62 to establish Personhood for the unborn.
HD 54 (Grand Junction, Delta)
Ray Scott is considered 100% pro-life. His opponent (Bob Hislop) has not responded to our survey, his site mentions "family values" while remaining very vague, but he is believed by local pro-lifers to be insincere in his stand, only saying he's pro-life in order to get pro-life votes. Hislop was personally given a survey and asked to support Personhood, and he refused.
Also please see CRTL's recent post about similar clear distinctions between candidates for U.S. Congress in the 7th, 3rd and 2nd Congressional Districts.
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