MRL, MOGOP Feud Continues; Senate Republicans Shut Out of "Pro-Life" Endorsements

The rift between extremist group Missouri Right to Life and their usually reliable allies in the Republican Party seems to just be getting worse.  Relationships between GOP legislators and the state's best-known anti-choice group have been strained since the assembly approved Matt Blunt's MOHELA sale and seemingly still hadn't healed as MRL rolled out its candidate endorsements for the August primary.

In fact, of the eight Republican Senate incumbents who are seeking re-election this year, not a single one was rewarded by Missouri Right to Life with a "Pro-Life" designation on its endorsement scorecard.  Senators Engler, Ridgeway, Stouffer, Dempsey, Mayer, Crowell, Goodman and Purgason all received a rating of "M", indicating MRL's judgment that they have a "mixed" voting record on "pro-life" issues.  Not a single one of those senators received the MRL endorsement for the August 2008 primary.­

And given that Right to Life has now tagged each of the Republican senators with a "mixed" anti-choice voting record, it seems unlikely that they'll endorse any of those legislators in their general election contests, either, unless they're willing to lower their own bar.

Hard to imagine a worse time to be a Republican, as even the lunatic fringe who comprise the GOP base can no longer be counted on for steady support.