Democrats are trying to retake control of Congress, which Republicans wrested away in 1994 after 40 years of Democratic majorities. In the Senate, 34 of the 100 seats are contested; all 435 House seats are up for grabs.
A key Senate race that evangelicals and profamily groups will be watching closely in November is in Kansas for Bob Dole’s open seat. The race pits pro-life social conservative Republican Rep. Sam Brownback against Wichita stockbroker Jill Docking, a supporter of abortion rights. In a primary, Brownback, a Methodist, upset Republican party establishment appointment Sheila Frahm, an abortion-rights supporter.
In Illinois, abortion is a key factor in the contentious race for retiring Democratic Sen. Paul Simon’s seat. Democratic candidate Rep. Richard Durbin, a six-term House officeholder, voted against the ban on partial-birth abortions. Republican opponent Al Salvi is a conservative Catholic who shocked gop party officials by defeating Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra in the primary.
Pro-family groups say the Defense of Marriage Act could be a major factor in Iowa Rep. Jim Lightfoot’s challenge to veteran Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. Lightfoot, a Republican, supported the bill in the House, while Harkin is expected to offer amendments to weaken the legislation when it reaches the Senate.
HOUSE RACES: Three out of four evangelicals cast votes for Republican House candidates in 1994, up from 54 percent in 1992. But it could be the Catholic vote that determines whether the gop retains control of Congress this November. Two years ago, 53 percent of Catholics voted Republican in House races, the first time the gop had ever received a majority from them (only 38 percent voted Republican in 1992).
“Catholic support for Republican House candidates will drop like a stone this year,” predicts Lyman Kellstedt of Wheaton College.
Evangelicals in Ohio’s Third District are divided between Tony Hall, an outspoken evangelical Democrat, and Republican challenger David Westbrock, a doctor who has been recruiting conservative Christian support. Hall has been a leading pro-life Democrat who has worked on several profamily issues. But he earned only a 31 percent rating on the latest Christian Coalition scorecard because of his stands against recently enacted welfare reform legislation and other social program cuts. Westbrock is more conservative on economic issues.
In California’s Third District, a rematch is set between Democratic incumbent Rep. Vic Fazio and his Republican challenger, Christian businessman Tim LeFever. Fazio won the contest in 1994 with just 49 percent of the vote. Before that election, Fazio angered many conservative Christian voters by organizing the “Radical Right Task Force,” a group whose stated goal was to counter the effects of the Christian Right (ct, Oct. 3, 1994, p. 65). LeFever helped establish two religious liberties organizations, the Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom and the Rutherford Institute of California.
In the Twenty-second District of California, first-term Republican Andrea Seastrand has been targeted for defeat by the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, which is supporting the Democratic challenger Walter Capps, a religion professor. Seastrand, a conservative Catholic, has strong support from many evangelical groups.
In Washington’s Third District, Republican Rep. Linda Smith, an active member of the Assemblies of God, is running for re-election against Democrat Brian Baird. Elected in 1994 after an unprecedented primary write-in vote, which she calls “a miracle,” Smith spent her first term angering Republicans and Democrats alike with her aggressive efforts on campaign finance reform. Smith says the current system is based on “bribery and extortion.”
Baptist physician Tom Coburn, the first-term Republican in Oklahoma’s Second District, is facing a tough challenge by well-financed Democratic opponent Glen Johnson, Democratic State House speaker. Coburn, who is chair of the House Profamily Caucus, says two components determine his stands on issues: Christian faith and medical ethics.
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Last Updated: October 4, 1996
