By Karen Cross, National Right to Life political director
Despite dire predictions from virtually all the politicos and pundits, the 2020 elections were a monumental year for pro-life Congressional candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives.
At the time of this posting on Monday afternoon, 12 Democratic House seats have flipped to pro-life Republicans. Two potential pickup opportunities remain undecided.
As we wait for the final tallies, it also appears virtually every pro-life Republican incumbent has won re-election to the U.S. House.
All but one open seat that political prognosticators had labeled tossups were won by pro-life Republicans. While Democrats will retain the House majority, pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be working with the slimmest majority since the 1940s.
The importance of the pro-life vote in 2020 cannot be overstated. Nationally, 23% of voters said that the abortion issue affected their vote and voted for candidates who oppose abortion. This compares to just 18% who said abortion affected their vote and voted for candidates who favor abortion, yielding a 5-point advantage for pro-life candidates.
In states where National Right to Life’s political committees were most actively involved, 27% of voters said that the abortion issue affected their vote and voted for candidates who oppose abortion. This compares to just 16% who said abortion affected their vote and voted for candidates who favor abortion, yielding an 11-point advantage for pro-life candidates in those high-activity states.
The pro-life gains in the House bring a dynamic and diverse freshman class to Washington. Their various backgrounds in state and local government, the legal and medical fields, journalism, professional sports, and more provide them with unique experiences to draw upon as they represent their constituents and work to safeguard the rights of all Americans.
Stephanie Bice, an Oklahoma state senator, defeated freshman pro-abortion Democrat Kendra Horn in Oklahoma’s 5th District. Bice becomes the first Iranian American to be elected to Congress. Horn, backed by national pro-abortion groups, won the seat in an upset in 2018. Throughout the campaign, Bice wore her pro-life convictions on her sleeve and did not shy away from opportunities to call out Horn for her extreme position in favor of abortion on demand and taxpayer funding of abortion. She won her race against the incumbent by more than 4 points.
Michelle Fischbach, the former Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and state Senate President, unseated 30-year incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson in Minnesota’s 7th District. Republicans have had their eyes on this seat for years but had previously been unsuccessful. Fischbach brought it home. While Peterson professed to be a pro-life Democrat, he only scored 58% on the National Right to Life scorecard for the 116th Congress. In contrast, Fischbach, who has a lifetime 100 percent pro-life voting record in the Minnesota Legislature, has shown decisive pro-life leadership throughout her career. She will be an outstanding champion for the unborn heading into the 117th Congress.
Carlos Gimenez, the Republican mayor of Miami-Dade County, defied the odds and flipped a seat in Florida’s 26th District, defeating pro-abortion incumbent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Gimenez was born in Cuba and immigrated with his family when he was six years old. Prior to his involvement in politics, he was a member of the Miami Fire Department and served as fire chief for nine years. He will be one of four new Hispanic Republicans in the House.
Yvette Herrell, a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, won a rematch against pro-abortion Democrat Xochitl Torres Small. As a Cherokee woman, Herrell earns the distinction of being the first Native American Republican woman elected to Congress and only the third Native American woman ever elected. She made her pro-life position a cornerstone of her campaign, regularly calling out the abortion extremism embraced by Torres Small. Her home state of New Mexico is one of several states that allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Herrell’s support for commonsense protections for the unborn made the difference in a close race that she won by just one percentage point.
Ashley Hinson took back the seat in Iowa’s 1st District when she defeated pro-abortion freshman Abby Finkenauer. Prior to Congress, Hinson served in the Iowa House of Representatives, where she was a strong supporter of pro-life legislative efforts. Political forecasters at Inside Elections and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball had rated the race “Leans Democrat” heading into the final days of the campaign. A Monmouth University poll had Hinson down 12 points two weeks before Election Day. She ultimately won by 3 points.
Young Kim, a former California Assemblywoman, won a rematch against pro-abortion Democrat Gil Cisneros in California’s 39th District, located in Orange County. Prior to 2020, a Korean American woman has never been elected to Congress. As an immigrant from South Korea, Kim becomes one of three Korean American women to be awarded that distinction this year. The political pundits had written off this race, relegating it to “Likely Democrat,” but Kim was a strong candidate who managed to prove them all wrong. FiveThirtyEight gave her just a 26% chance of victory. With Kim’s win, along with Michelle Steel in the 48th District and David Valadao in the 21st, 2020 marked the first time Republicans defeated incumbent Democrats in California since 1998.
Nicole Malliotakis, a member of the New York State Assembly, prevailed over pro-abortion Democrat Max Rose in New York’s 11th District. As the daughter of Cuban and Greek immigrants, she becomes the first Hispanic American to win elected office in Staten Island. In the New York State Assembly, she voted against late abortions and taxpayer funding of abortion. By contrast, Rose had a 0% rating from National Right to Life in the 116th Congress.
Nancy Mace was victorious in South Carolina’s 1st District against pro-abortion Democrat Joe Cunningham. Mace, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, bears the distinction of being the first woman to graduate from the Citadel. The 1st District had previously been a Republican seat but Cunningham was able to ride 2018’s so-called “Blue Wave” to victory. In his term, Cunningham had a 0% pro-life rating. Mace voted in favor of pro-life proposals in the South Carolina House, including a bill to protect unborn babies from late abortions when they can experience pain.
Burgess Owens, a retired NFL football player who played for the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets, flipped a seat in Utah’s 4th Congressional District. In addition to his sports background, Owens is a businessman and runs a nonprofit organization to help troubled and incarcerated youth. Owens defeated Democrat Ben McAdams, who had claimed to hold a pro-life position but only scored 38% with National Right to Life. Considered a rising star in Republican politics, Owens spoke on the third night of the 2020 Republican National Convention.
Maria Elvira Salazar pulled off a major upset with her win over pro-abortion incumbent Donna Shalala in Florida’s 27th District. Salazar prevailed in a race that had been labeled “Likely Democratic” by most political prognosticators and in a district carried by both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. Prior to running for Congress, Salazar was a journalist and broadcast television anchor for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Her opponent, Donna Shalala, served as HHS Secretary under President Bill Clinton and was a founding member of the extreme pro-abortion political group EMILY’s List.
Michelle Steel, a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, defeated pro-abortion incumbent Harley Rouda in California’s 48th Congressional District. Pundits and pollsters had given the edge to Rouda in the race but Steel defied the odds and won by three points. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Steel becomes one of two Korean American Republicans, the other is Young Kim, heading to Congress. She is strongly pro-life and defeats an incumbent who had a 0% rating from National Right to Life.
David Valadao has won a rematch for the seat he previously held in California’s 21st District, defeating freshman Democrat TJ Cox. Valadao, the son of Portuguese immigrants, was a partner in Valadao Dairy, a dairy farm established by his father in Kings County, California. Prior to his term in Congress, he also served as a member of the California State Assembly. He maintained a pro-life voting record throughout his time in elected office and becomes another pro-life addition to the California delegation for the 117th Congress.
As we await the results of two more potential pickups in Iowa and New York, we can be heartened that our efforts to bring pro-life leaders to Washington have borne fruit. Here at National Right to Life, we are looking forward to working with the new freshman class and all those concerned with protecting unborn babies and their mothers.