Missouri Right to Life endorses Hartzler

Missouri Right to Life has endorsed former Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who is running in the Republican primary to face Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton in November. The following comes from a Hartzler news release:

Vicky Hartzler announced today that Missouri Right to Life is endorsing her as the only Republican candidate for the U.S. House “who will be an effective voice for the protection of innocent human life.”


Hartzler seeks the GOP nomination to challenge 34-year Democrat congressman Ike Skelton in November. She was advised by MRL Political Action Committee Chair Dave Plemmons that the statewide grassroots group endorses her and no other Republican candidate in the August 3 primary election for the 4th District seat in the U.S. House.

Hartzler said: “MRL is the gold standard of independent and non-partisan advocacy for the sanctity of life in Missouri, especially the unborn, disabled and elderly. I am very deeply honored to have their support as the only MRL-supported candidate for nomination to face Ike Skelton in November.”

MRL speaks for 250,000 pro-life Missourians statewide. It is the Missouri affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee. MRL and the national committee support pro-life laws and policies at the state and federal levels, endorse and evaluate candidates without respect to party, and work to educate citizens and voters on issues.

A nearly lockstep follower of House Speaker Pelosi, Skelton openly supports anti-First Amendment legislation sought by Washington liberals to gag MRL and other non-partisan grassroots advocacy groups. (H.R. 5175; National Right to Life, (http://www.nrlc.org/FreeSpeech/NRLCletteronDISCLOSEAct.pdf.) Skelton’s bill seeks to harass and burden grassroots issue groups by targeting them for heavy new red tape and regulations, while exempting traditional areas of Democrat political support, such as national labor unions.

On Skelton’s long-running alliance with the ultra-liberal Pelosi, a matter little known at this time in the district, Hartzler said: “Nancy Pelosi is a militant and extreme advocate of abortion on demand, including using taxpayer dollars for abortion. Mr. Skelton votes with her more than 90 percent of the time, has voted to make her Speaker four times, and will do so again unless he is replaced with someone who will stand up for our 4th District values. In my opinion, a principled supporter of the right to life could not possibly support putting Nancy Pelosi in control of the House, but Mr. Skelton has voted to do exactly that four times in a row, and will do it again if given the chance.

“If I am nominated in August, Ike Skelton will have much to explain for November, on this issue and many others, beginning with his support for job-killing tax increases and his lockstep votes for the explosion of deficit spending and public debt that threaten the very future of our country.”