Less than week after their candidate dropped out of the race, Tennessee Right to Life has endorsed Mike Huckabee for President citing excitement among their grassroots activists.
"The beauty of a grassroots organization is that your members set the priorities," said Brian Harris, president of the state's oldest and largest pro-life organization. "For pro-life Tennesseans, the election of a sincere, proven pro-life president is paramount. Our members recognize Mike Huckabee as ‘one of us' and that enthusiasm is driven by his demonstrated record of leadership and sacrifice toward the shared cause of protecting life."
The endorsement continues the trend of social conservatives recently displaced from Thompson's camp moving to Huckabee's camp.
Tennessee Right to Life's endorsement follows on the lead of other Right to Life organzations in Arizona and Georgia which have also endorsed the Governor from Arkansas. All of them are state affiliates of National Right to Life. NRL had previously endorsed Fred Thompson for President and will likely stay out of the remainder of the primary race.This is a big endorsement for Huckabee.
Tennessee Right to Life is one of the few grassroots organizations with a statewide network in Tennessee. The endorsement provides both volunteers and votes. They also count both Republicans and Democrats as members. An overwhelming majoirty of Tennesseans are pro-life, including a significant number of Democrats.
Tennessee holds an open primary on February 5th, meaning Democrats are allowed to vote in the Republican contest. This endorsement provides an acceptable alternative for pro-life Democrats who are stuck having to choose between the lesser of two evils.
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