Battle of "Pro-Life" Political Groups Plays Out in Primary Skirmish

When Missouri Right to Life decided to base its legislator scorecard ratings on votes other than the ones that Republican legislative leaders told them they should, Republican regulars like Ed Martin leapt into action.

Tired of having to cater to a special interest group that didn't serve their political goals to an absolute tee, Martin and friends did what any self-respecting Republicans would do: create a new front-group organization on which they themselves would pull the strings to ensure that only candidates of whom they approved would get "pro-life" endorsements.  Thus was born an entity known as Missourians United for Life.

Of course, a critical element of building an organization that could usurp the clout of an existing "pro-life" organization is making yours an endorsement that candidates actually want.  Based on the initial range of Missourians United for Life endorsements, it isn't clear that folks will be clamoring for the thumbs-up from Ed Martin's front. 

Consider this: in the pre-primary period, Missourians United for Life endorsed a total of nine candidates running in primary elections and just three of those candidates won. 

And of the three that did win, Missourians United for Life actually endorsed the winner and the other top candidate in the race.  For instance, Missourians United for Life endorsed candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer who won the GOP primary in the Ninth Congressional District, but also endorsed Bob Onder, who was Luetkemeyer's top competitor.  See the chart below for details.

Based on last week's results it isn't clear that, even for a candidate in a GOP primary, having the blessing of Missourians United for Life does much practical good. 

Invariably, Republican power brokers in the legislature will do their best to try to bump up the brand value of Missourians United for Life --a wholly-owned GOP subsidiary-- by spotlighting the group during subsequent legislative sessions.  They'll bank on enhanced exposure leading to additional influence in the minds of "pro-life" voters.  But in the interim, all indications are that Ed Martin's "pro-life' splinter group has a way to go before dethroning Missouri Right to Life in the minds of "pro-life" voters.  The battle continues.