SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS UPDATE

By Carol Tobias, NRL PAC Director

Because of retirements, appointments, and deaths, several congressional seats have opened up and special elections are being held to fill the vacancies.

Earlier this year, special elections were held to replace pro- abortion Congressman Julian Dixon (D-Ca.), who had passed away, and pro-life Congressman Bud Shuster (R-Pa.), who had resigned. The election of Diane Watson (D) kept Dixon's seat in pro- abortion hands while Shuster's seat remained pro-life with the victory of his son, Bill Shuster (R).

Pro-lifers won a major victory in June when Randy Forbes defeated a pro-abortion opponent to win the special election in Virginia's 4th District. Forbes replaced the late pro-abortion Rep. Norman Sisisky (D).

Four seats are currently open, with elections underway.

In Florida's 1st District, pro-life Rep. Joe Scarborough resigned. The July primaries were won by pro-life state Rep. Jeff Miller (R) and Steve Briese (D). Because of the strong Republican leaning of the district, Miller is widely expected to win the October 16 general election.

In Massachusetts's 9th District, Rep. Joe Moakley (D), who had compiled a mostly pro-life voting record, died in May. His seat, which includes much of Boston, is likely to be held by Democrats.

The winner of the Democratic primary, held on September 11, was pro-life state Senator Stephen Lynch.

Other candidates included state Senator Bryan Joyce, who had a pro-life record but flipped to a pro-abortion position when he decided to run for Congress. Lynch's strongest primary rival was pro-abortion state Senator Cheryl Jacques, who had been endorsed by EMILY's List and NARAL.

Jacques had focused her campaign on abortion and gun control. EMILY's List spent $200,000 on television ads attacking Lynch for his pro-life position, and sent several volunteers into the district to work on the campaign. According to Roll Call, a recent Boston Globe poll and WBZTV survey data "suggest that Jacques may have made a tactical error by focusing so heavily on abortion and the fact that she supports abortion rights, while Lynch does not."

The general election will be October 16. The likely Republican nominee will be pro-abortion state Senator JoAnn Sprague.

Pro-life Asa Hutchinson (R), a third-term representative from the 3rd District of Arkansas, was tapped by President George W. Bush to head up the Drug Enforcement Agency. The primary to fill his seat will be September 25 with a run-off, if necessary, October 16.

The special election is November 20. In this heavily Republican district, the four Republican candidates are all pro-life.

Pro-life South Carolina Congressman Floyd Spence (R) died in August. The primary for that 2nd District seat will be October 30. The general election follows on December 18. The strongest candidate to surface is pro-life state Senator Joe Wilson (R). Democrats have said they may not field a candidate in the race.

Another district that may open is the 1st District of Oklahoma, where pro-life Congressman Steve Largent is expected to resign from his seat November 29 in order to run full-time for governor. Several candidates are actively campaigning for the seat and a date for the special election has not been set.

Although several new members of the House will be elected this year, it is likely that the pro-life pick-up in Virginia will be the only change in the make-up of Congress.