That is a complete slap in the face to Loudon who has carried their water for years in the Leg. Every Knuckle dragging abortion bill was sponsored by Loudon. Looks like the fighter pilot is aceing his opponents.

Sounds familiar. In the 3rd CD circus in 04, MRL endorsed Steve Stoll, even tho Joan Barry had carried all their bills and was their champion in the Leg. Maybe both D's and R's alike should think twice before climbing into bed with "pro-lifers."

Of course Ds and Rs alike think twice about climbing into bed with a pro-lifer. There's no chance of a do-over with an abortion (rimshot).

On a serious note, MRL's power to deliver votes has faded badly. Now it only matters in down-ballot contests in which voters don't know anything about the candidates (although the auditor primary could qualify). When voters have other information with which to form their opinions, the MRL endorsement is damned near meaningless.

The organization is also dysfunctional. As of 1:00 this afternoon, the 2006 endorsements still weren't on their web site.

The 3rd District primary in 04 demonstrated how little clout the MRL endorsement has. In both the City and St Louis County, Stoll (with MRL endorsement in hand) came in a distant 6th, well behind two other pro-life candidates (Barry and Favazza).

While MRL has more influence in a Republican primary, its "my way or the highway" anti-stem cell stance severely damaged its credibility. Blunt may be unpopular, but his stem-cell tiff with MRL actually made him look good.

Nevertheless, I'm sure Jackson is happy to have the nod, and his primary opponents all wish they had it instead.

Stoll helped out MO Right to Life in the Legislature as well; furthermore Right-to-Life viewed Joan as too middle of the road on questions of reproductive health, whereas Stoll was more stridently Pro-Life; while MORtL focuses on abortion I think it is safe to say that they are fairly anti-contraception as well and as such were not at all comfortable with Berry's moderation.

As for the larger point yes, any politican should think (at least) twice before climing into bed with the 'pro-lifers'

This just in: Political Fix is reporting that MRL endorsed four of the Republican candidates for Auditor--all but Hanson the felon, not just Jackson. So, no, it's not a slap in the face at Sen. Loudon (or Rep. Wright or Ms. Thomas). It would have been easier to figure that out if MRL would have posted the endorsements on its website, but it still hasn't.

So, both sides of the abortion question have now ducked their leadership responsibilities by making multiple endorsements in the same contest instead of taking a stand. (NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri endorsed four of the five Democratic candidates for State Senator in the 4th District.)