"The rankings at CPAC show that abortion is among the issues animating people's votes, even when it isn't issue number one for everyone as it is for me and the Pro-Life Generation," Hawkins said.
"We are educating people on the need to vote pro-life first, and we will continue to work with people wherever they are at, to build a coalition dedicated to ending abortion," she said.
In an email to CNA, Mallory Quigley, vice president of communications for the Susan B. Anthony List, wrote that election integrity--the highest-rated issue at CPAC in terms of importance--and the pro-life cause are both connected.
"Those who used COVID-19 to expand access to dangerous chemical abortion drugs and try to suspend pro-life laws also used the pandemic as an excuse to weaken state laws that ensure free and fair elections, which severely compromised Americans' faith in our elections process," Quigley said.
Quigley called this year's CPAC straw poll "a snapshot of a particular moment in time – a time when voters are sincerely concerned about the integrity of our nation's elections."
"We share deeply in this concern," she continued. "The issues of protecting life and honest, fair elections are inextricably linked, especially for those of us in the pro-life movement who have chosen to engage in politics as the primary means of effecting change. Without this, we lose our ability to use the political system to bring about lifesaving law and policy changes."
Day added that because pro-life policies are "a winning issue," both parties would be wise to oppose "abortion extremisim."
"It's very dangerous for Democrats to have abortion funding in the COVID relief bill and giving Republicans this ammunition," she said.
A massive COVID relief package under consideration by the Senate this week does not contain pro-life funding protections--thus possibly allowing for increased funding of abortion coverage and abortion providers. House Democrats rejected pro-life amendments to the bill that would have established safeguards against abortion funding.
"Republicans know it's a winning issue. Abortion extremisim is not helping the Democrats at all," Day said of pro-life issues.
A majority of respondents in the CPAC straw poll selected former President Donald Trump as their choice for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination. Trump addressed the conference on Sunday, repeating his claim that he won the 2020 presidential election but without offering any evidence.
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Kate Scanlon served as EWTN News Political Affairs Correspondent through August 2021.