Ohio: Indy in 15th District Gets Right to Life Nod
A third-party candidate has received the Ohio Right to Life Political Action Committee endorsement in what is expected to be the most competitive Congressional race in the Buckeye State.
Anti-abortion rights activist Don Elijah Eckhart (I) has received the Ohio Right To Life PACs endorsement over 2006 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy (D) and state Sen. Steve Stivers (R). A spokesman for the PAC called him the only pro-life candidate in the race.
Of the 18 House districts in Ohio, the PAC endorsed 13 Republicans, one Democrat and one Independent, Eckart. The group did not endorse in three of the Congressional districts.
The PACs endorsement did not seem to surprise Stivers, who says he has a middle ground position when it comes to abortion. He said that stance is similar to that of the Congresswoman he is attempting to replace, retiring Rep. Deborah Pryce (R).
I believe the question of abortion is really a question for family and their clergy, but I do support some restrictions, Stivers said.
Unlike many Independent candidates in Ohio, Eckhart has the potential to affect the outcome of this race, according to polling data.
In a survey commissioned by Kilroys campaign of 516 likely voters from May 20 to 22, Kilroy received 47 percent of the vote, Stivers got 37 percent, Eckhart got 5 percent and 11 percent were undecided. The poll, by Benenson Group Strategy, had a 4.3-point margin of error.