ARTICLES

Win Some, Lose Some

MARCH PRIMARY ROUND-UP

Pro-life candidates fared well in San Diego County in March's primary elections, with a few notable exceptions. According to Michaelene Jenkins, head of the local California Prolife Council, 75 percent of the candidates they endorsed in San Diego County won their races. All the candidates the Council endorsed for congressional, state assembly, and state senate seats won their party's nomination.

The group did not give endorsements in the few districts with no pro-life candidates, and withheld endorsement from pro-lifer Steve Knoblock in the 39th State Senate district, stating that they did not feel he was conducting a serious campaign (pro-abortion Republican Joe Dolphin won). Jenkins stated that 25 out of 34 of the candidates for the Republican Central Committee won, resulting in a greater than two-thirds pro-life majority on the committee. Jenkins noted that in local elections (judges, county board of education), there was a lower percentage of pro-life victories.

With extensive financial and political backing from Governor Pete Wilson, pro-abortion carpetbagger Tricia Hunter squeaked by to win the 78th assembly district. American Independent Party candidate Nathan Johnson, who is pro-life, is also running in the 78th district. Excommunicated abortion promoter Lucy Killea, who was expected to run as an Independent in that race, announced April 17 that she is pulling out of that race.

In the 50th Congressional District, Midway Baptist pastor Jim Baize won his party's nomination by 127 votes in the final count. Baize is running against Bob Filner, whose support for abortion extends even into late pregnancy; Filner voted against the partial birth abortion ban. Baize hopes that pro-life, pro-family sentiments among Catholic Hispanics in his district (many of whom accounted for the 45 percent showing of Juan Vargas in the Democratic primary) will override traditional Democratic support in the area.

According to Jenkins, Bob Trettin's 76th Assembly district race will be the pro-life council's highest priority locally. Trettin is running against incumbent Susan Davis, whose voting record is strongly pro-abortion. When Trettin ran against Davis two years ago, losing narrowly, Davis had presented herself as moderate-conservative, promising that she would not vote for Willie Brown as Speaker of the Assembly. After the election, Davis broke her promise.

Incumbent 74th Assembly District representative Howard Kaloogian was challenged unsuccessfully by pro-abortion Republican Dee Clayton, whose candidacy was apparently motivated by her husband Fred's 1994 loss to Kaloogian. Says Jenkins, "This was the dirtiest campaign we've ever seen, with shameless hit pieces against Howard, including commercials and mail pieces comparing him with Timothy McVeigh and with people who kill abortionists." Jenkins noted that Kaloogian, as chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Committee, favored privatization, angering public employee unions, who poured money into Clayton's campaign. There is also evidence of funding being funneled to Clayton through the state Democratic Party.

Two pro-life Libertarian candidates are also running in local races: Elizabeth Meyers against strong pro-lifer Steve Baldwin, who currently holds the 77th state assembly seat, and a Catholic dentist from University City, Ernie Lippe, who is running for the 49th U.S. congressional seat occupied by pro-abortion Republican Brian Bilbray. Lippe has refused to accept corporate contributions, believing that representatives who accept such contributions are unable to vote without bias.