Pro-life group working to 'replace' congressmen who supported health care bill

Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2010 / 23:02 pm

The Family Research Council Action PAC announced plans to raise $500,000 in an effort to “replace” self-described pro-life congressmen and women who voted in support of health care reform.

On Tuesday, the pro-life political action group announced their “20 in '10”  initiative which will target districts across the U.S. with the aim of replacing the pro-life politicians in these areas who voted for the health care bill. 

“There are good reasons why organizations like ours decided to go the extra mile and create a political action committee as another arrow in its quiver,” said Connie Mackey, president of FRC Action PAC on Tuesday. “The thousands of families that we represent are more energized than ever to replace these so-called 'pro-life' Democrats who voted for a health care bill that for the first time in three decades uses taxpayer funds for abortion on demand.”

According to Congress.org, 11 of the 20 politicians whom the FRC Action PAC is seeking to replace are self-professed Catholics.

These 11 congressman and women include: Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa.), Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), Rep. Kathy Dahlemper (D-Pa.), Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio), Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), Rep. Carol Shea Porter (D-N.H.)  Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.).

“As pro-life and pro-family voters, we must work together to change the Congress, state governments and ultimately the White House in 2012,” Mackey asserted. “We cannot afford to put hard earned dollars into campaigns of people who 'grow in office' or cannot see their way under the pressure of party politics.”

The other nine targeted in the FRC Action PAC's 20 are: Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-Ariz.), Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.), Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) and Rep. Alice Titus (D-Nev.).

Criticism against FRC Action's list of politicians arose on Tuesday after it became apparent that two of the targeted congressmen did not vote for the health care bill.

“There are only two people on the 20 in 10 list who didn't vote for the bill – Walt Minnick (ID-01) and Glenn Nye (VA-2),” said Tim Potter, director of Electoral Relations for FRC Action. “Our language on the site says the 20 in 10 list is an expanded list from our original one. Both Minnick and Nye were on the original list.”

“We are targeting them because they are in conservative districts and were swept into office because of mistakes by their opponents and the Obama electoral wave,” Potter explained. 

“It's time to replace this Congress, repeal the government takeover of health care and restore our Constitutional freedoms,” added Mackey. “FRC Action PAC has spent many months researching those races we see as vulnerable and that will have pro-life, pro-family candidates to fill the void.”