One gubernatorial candidate stands above rest

In early January 2003, the residents of Michigan will experience something that they haven't felt for 12 years; the inauguration of a new governor. As term limits force Governor Engler's retirement from office, Michigan voters will soon have to decide who they will support in the 2002 gubernatorial election. Possible candidates for governor include Republicans Dick Posthumus and Joe Schwarz, along with Democrats David Bonior, Jim Blanchard, Jennifer Granholm, and Alma Wheeler Smith.

On the Republican side of the aisle, Dick Posthumus, who currently serves as Michigan's Lieutenant Governor, is the favorite and most likely candidate for the Republican nomination. Posthumus has been an active voice for the prolife movement during his stint as Lieutenant Governor and before when he was in the state Senate, where he was Michigan's longest serving Senate Majority Leader in history.

In the Republican primary, Posthumus will be facing off with long-shot challenger Joe Schwarz, who is a State Senator from Battle Creek. In an interview published by Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS), Sen. Schwarz described Right to Life of Michigan as "foaming, salivating" and said "if there were a thousand of them, I might get one vote. I don't give a (expletive). That's not who I'm after. I think they're wrong." Sen. Schwarz obviously does not share the same views as Right to Life of Michigan.

For the Democrats, it looks like a three person race for the Democratic nomination among Jennifer Granholm, Jim Blanchard, and David Bonior. Alma Wheeler Smith is considered a long-shot for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. None of these candidates meet the Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee prolife criteria. Attorney General Jennifer Granholm is endorsed by Emily's List, a radical proabortion organization that funnels millions of dollars into the campaigns of women who meet their extreme standards which include keeping partial-birth abortions legal.

Jim Blanchard, who was governor before Gov. John Engler, bragged in a Detroit News story on July 15, 2001, that he "vetoed every abortion restriction" that came his way as Michigan's governor.

United States Congressman David Bonior (Mt. Clemens) has often claimed to be against abortion, but a record of his recent votes in Congress shows a different story. On National Right to Life's most recent score card, Bonior scored 45 percent. This means that of all the bills dealing with prolife issues from 1999 through 2000, Rep. Bonior voted with the prolife side less than half of the time. Some of Bonior's votes opposing prolife issues included voting to allow states to use federally controlled substances for assisted suicide and euthanasia and his vote to allow U.S. foreign aid to go to organizations that perform abortions or campaign to legalize abortion in foreign nations.

In the upcoming race for Governor, one candidate stands above the rest when it comes to prolife issues. Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus has been a strong, unwavering voice for the unborn while the other candidates have either no problem stating their proabortion views or are ambiguous on life at best.

 

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