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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Dan Gilgoff
For political analysts, the lesson in
And yet many conservative activists are encouraged by the outcome of the race, which saw Hoffman take 46 percent of the vote. "The lesson of New York 23 is that if the
With an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and support from Family Research Council Action and Ralph Reed's
But some
The ongoing tensions are on clearest display in Florida, where Gov. Charlie Crist is facing the more conservative Marco Rubio, a former Florida House speaker, in the primary for an open
The contest is focused on economic issues like taxes and the wisdom of the federal stimulus package, but Rubio is relying heavily on support from religious conservatives who are unhappy with Crist's reticence on hot-button social issues. Crist was mostly quiet on last year's successful Florida ballot initiative to ban gay marriage. He calls himself "pro-life" but opposes overturning Roe v. Wade. "You can't be pro-life if you don't think Roe should be overturned," says Rubio. "Almost everybody is personally pro-life, but this is about public policy." Rubio has snagged an endorsement from Family Research Council Action and hopes it will bring support from religious conservatives nationwide.
A similar battle is underway in California, where former
In Utah, meanwhile, a longtime "pro-family" activist endorsed by Christian right icon Phyllis Schlafly is among the conservatives running against Republican Sen. Bob Bennett. Cherilyn Eagar says her state's tradition of picking nominees by convention makes it easier for her to benefit from the support of activists, including religious conservatives. "Bennett's version of national healthcare had a provision requiring insurance companies to supply abortions," she says. "I find that reprehensible in a state that is highly pro-life."
Beyond confronting the Republican establishment, religious activists point out that they helped deliver last week's Republican gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey.
In Virginia, white evangelicals supplied nearly half of Governor-elect Bob McDonnell's votes.
New Jersey Governor-elect Chris Christie is the first antiabortion chief executive to be
elected in the state in at least 25 years. He survived a conservative primary opponent and went on to get
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