Todd Stephens, a GOP candidate for Attorney General, is striking back against allegations that he is insufficiently pro-life or an ally of Planned Parenthood.
Last Thursday, Stephens’ primary opponent John Rafferty won the endorsement of the President of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Susan Rogacs. Rogacs based her support on her statement that Rafferty had a 0% score from Planned Parenthood while Stephens had a 100% score.
“Politics is a contact sport. I get that,” Stephens writes in a letter to supporters. “But when my opponent distributes misleading information that isn’t true, my disappointment gives way to deep concern about how his willingness to misrepresent the facts in the political arena reflects upon his suitability for the job of Attorney General.”
“A letter distributed by John Rafferty’s campaign inaccurately portrays my pro-life voting record and my personal feelings about the issue of life,” Stephens continued. “By cherry picking votes on three amendments out of the more than two dozen votes I’ve cast on abortion-related legislation they are trying to deceive you. In fact, I have voted in favor of every pro-life bill that has come before me since becoming a member of the House of Representatives. I have also voted against many pro-abortion amendments supported by Planned Parenthood.”
The letter then goes on to detail four such votes including support for Act 122 and Act 13.
“My record is clear – I have stood with the unborn on every pro-life bill that has come before me since I was elected to the House,” he asserts. “That is an indisputable fact.”
“Prosecutors know that all of the facts must be considered when assessing a case and when the jury hears a case, they must consider all of the pertinent information,” Stephens concludes. “These desperate attacks are nothing more than a side show to distract from the real issue – I am the only candidate who has spent nearly a decade as a state and federal prosecutor with over 1,500 cases, a 99% conviction rate and 18 homicide convictions. Senator Rafferty has less experience than the current Attorney General, and we have seen where that has led us.”
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6 Responses
Unfortunately, the pro-life lobby doesn’t always do their homework. They’ve endorsed plenty of incumbent Republicans who voted to fund Planned Parenthood even when they had primary challengers who said they wouldn’t. If they want to be effective in advancing their agenda they should be more willing to go after incumbents who campaign as pro-life but don’t walk the walk.
Those amendments Mr. Stephens supported were fully backed by Planned Parenthood and were designed to gut the bills. If Mr. Stephens had had his way on those votes, preborn children and their mothers would have been left unprotected. His rhetoric here does not match his record.
The only liberal Republican in this race is John Rafferty. Paycheck protection, pension reform, liquor…John Rafferry is responsible for holding all of those issues up in the Senate under Corbett.
Now when he is running for AG and we have a democratic Governor he votes to support them? Proves that John Rafferty will do anything and say anything to get elected. He’s the epitome of a career establishment politician.
I still don’t understand why Todd Stephens is running for Attorney General. He’s a liberal Republican from the southeast who doesn’t even have the support of liberal Republicans from the southeast.
Todd Stephens’ problem is that Planned Parenthood picked those votes because they are the ones they pushed. Todd voted for those bill 100% of the times.
Good luck winning a Republican nomination with that record.
OMG, PA GOP has come to this: arguing who is more of a zealot about Planned Parenthood defunding, anti-abortion, etc. Why not just go the full-Nazi like Trump?