Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC endorses Van Hollen

In the battle for endorsements, the Van Hollen campaign picked up a significant endorsement today from the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund Political Action Committee. Unlike Wisconsin Right to Life, Pro-Life Wisconsin endorsed just JB Van Hollen and did not endorse Waukshe DA Paul Bucher. It'll be interesting to see if this endorsement turns into any practical advantage in fundraising and grassroots support.

It should be noted Pro-Life Wisconsin has a "no exceptions" policy:

Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund supports candidates for public office who demonstrate a commitment to protect each and every innocent human life – in all circumstances and at all stages of development. To be “100% pro-life” is to know that a human life begins at fertilization and to therefore understand that there may never be a legal exception to an innocent child’s inalienable right to life. Accordingly, it requires protecting the child conceived in rape, the child whose mother’s life is perceived to be in danger, the disabled preborn baby, the tiny embryo vulnerable to experimental research, or the “terminally ill” patient who is viewed as a “burden” on society.

In endorsing Van Hollen, their press release quoted Mary Matuska, President of the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC, as saying,

“Not only will J.B. Van Hollen vigorously defend Wisconsin’s pro-life laws should they be legally challenged, he will also defend the First Amendment rights of pro-lifers across the state to peacefully and prayerfully protest the scandal of abortion.”

Update! I just spoke with Matt Sande at Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC and he indicated to me that questionairres were sent to both candidates. Van Hollen turned his questionairre in, while Bucher did not even though his campaign was reminded to do so. Based upon the one questionairre they received and an "excellent" follow-up interview they decided to give their sole endorsement to Van Hollen.

Update! just before midnight
Bill Christofferson offers his thoughts on the endorsement:

If there were any doubt, we now have confirmation that there is one full-fledged wingnut extremist in the Republican primary for attorney general.

Pro-Life Wisconsin's PAC made it official by endorsing JB Van Hollen.

Those folks are the wack jobs of the pro-life movement. They are for no abortions anywhere, anytime, no exceptions, don't care if you were raped and impregnated by a family member, or even that you'll die from the pregnancy.

They're the same nuts who went after the family of a Marine, critically brain damaged in Iraq, calling the family murderers when they finally, reluctantly, followed his wishes and allowed him to die.

Christofferson also speculates why Bucher may not have responded to the survey by Pro-Life Wisconsin:

Or does he disagree with them? We won't know unless he says something publicly. He is anti-choice enough to share the Wisconsin Right to Life endorsement with Van Hollen. But by Pro-Life Wisconsin standards, that group is awfully squishy.

Update! 5/11/06 The incident involving the marine killed by wounds suffered in Iraq can be found here. Hospicecare and the marine's widow carried out the wishes of the living will, and were called "murderers" by Pro-Life Wisconsin. Pro-Life Wisconsin reconsidered after Hospicecare threatened to take action, and re-wrote the press release to state that the marine died from having his food and water intentionally withheld.

I want to reiterate how Pro-Life Wisconsin defines "100%" pro-life. They don't believe in legal contraception, or any exception to abortion including to protect the life of the mother. They don't believe in incrementalism. Quite frankly, while I understand and support most of their goals, I don't think I could get their endorsement if I ran for public office, and I only support pro-life candidates.