When voters in Louisiana went to the polls on Saturday to make a selection for the Republican nomination for president, voters kept up a trend in the 2012 GOP primary showing they are strongly pro-life.
While most voters are focused on the lack of jobs and the troubled economy as the number one issue, abortion is still prominent on the minds of many Republican voters and 13 percent of Louisiana Republicans voting Saturday said abortion is their top issue on which they made a decision for a GOP nominee.
That was on track with Michigan, which voted in February and in which 14 percent said abortion was their top consideration and 59 percent of Republicans said abortions should always or almost always be illegal while just 37 percent said they should be legal.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group that has endorsed Republican hopeful Rick Santorum, cited his victory in Louisiana to his appeal among social conservative and pro-life voters.
“Throughout these primaries pro-life voters have made up a sizable voting bloc, either delivering victory or near victory to Rick Santorum. This comes at a time when he is being greatly outspent and attacked by his opponents on all issues,” Dannenfelser said. “The support Santorum enjoys from pro-life voters has given him a 4 to 10 percentage point advantage among all primary voters. This is a critical demographic—pro-life voters win elections on the margins.”
“Renewed calls from the Republican establishment to move social concerns to the sidelines deny the reality that American men and women, from every state, are looking for a consistent leader on these foundational issues,” continued Dannenfelser. “They’re going to need us to win in November.”
In Arizona, 55 percent of Republicans who voted in yesterday’s primary election said they want abortions to be mostly (36%) or always (19%) illegal while just 37 percent of Republicans want abortions to be mostly (26%) or always (11%) legal.
Looking at the voting breakdown in Arizona, both pro-life and pro-abortion Republicans favored Mitt Romney, who has been running as a pro-life candidate seeking the GOP nomination to face pro-abortion President Barack Obama and wont he Arizona primary. Rick Santorum, who is also running on a pro-life platform, too second place among both pro-life and pro-abortion voters. The most pro-life voters in Arizona, those who want all abortions illegal, evenly split between the two candidates at 42 percent apiece.
For Arizona voters, 6 percent of Republicans said abortion was their number one issue they took into account when voting.
In 2008, Republicans in most states indicated they are pro-life and oppose all or most abortions. As we reported in 2008:
Including Texas and Ohio, the number of states with a pro-life Republican majority jumps to 19 out of 24 that have voted thus far and had exit polling data. The Texas exit poll included 1,545 Republicans and 69 percent said abortion should be illegal while just 29 percent said abortion should remain illegal. Looking more closely at the numbers, some 25 percent of Texas Republicans said all abortions should be illegal while another 44 percent want most abortions made illegal.
2008 State Pro-Life v. Pro-Abortion Always Illegal Mostly Illegal Mostly Legal Always Legal
Alabama 76-20% 32% 44% 15% 5%
Arizona 58-37% 17% 42% 25% 13%
Arkansas 80-18% 37% 43% 13% 6%
California 54-42% 19% 35% 28% 14%
Connecticut 46-50% 13% 33% 30% 20%
Florida 54-44% 18% 35% 30% 14%
Georgia 64-33% 25% 39% 24% 9%
Illinois 64-33% 26% 38% 23% 10%
Iowa 74-23% 25% 49% 16% 7%
Louisiana 75-22% 38% 37% 15% 7%
Maryland 56-42% 17% 39% 28% 14%
Massachusetts 41-56% 13% 28% 37% 19%
Missouri 74-23% 32% 43% 18% 6%
New Hampshire 45-52% 15% 30% 32% 20%
New Jersey 46-53% 16% 29% 34% 19%
New York 48-49% 14% 34% 28% 21%
Ohio 70-28% 27% 43% 22% 6%
Oklahoma 76-22% 27% 49% 17% 6%
South Carolina 71-28% 28% 43% 19% 9%
Tennessee 75-22% 33% 42% 15% 7%
Texas 68-29% 25% 44% 22% 7%
Utah 85-13% 10% 75% 10% 3%
Virginia 63-34% 25% 38% 25% 9%
Wisconsin 74-25% 27% 47% 16% 9%
