Senate Candidate Mullen Picks Up Endorsement from Phyllis Schlafly, Iowa Right to Life Board

Update: 6:23 p.m. Friday

State Senate challenger Jeff Mullen picked up a second endorsement Friday, that of the Iowa Right to Life Committee.

The Point of Grace Church pastor is trying to unseat fellow Republican Pat Ward, who moved to District 22 after redistricting threw her into the same district as popular Des Moines Democrat Matt McCoy.

The release from the Iowa Right to Life Committee says in part:

"The Board of Directors of Iowa Right to Life Committee has evaluated the responses to our survey of candidates for state and federal offices on right to life related issues. It is a very serious undertaking and we strive for objectivity. We publish the results of our evaluations as a service to our membership.  

Our criteria for evaluation for the primary election this Tuesday, June 5, includes not only responses to the survey but news reports, interviews by us or others, voting history if an incumbent, consistency of the candidate within these aspects and an analysis of their legislative and political prospects in light of our legislative priorities. It is imperative that there be an understanding of the dignity and worth of each human life, whatever his or her state of circumstances before and after birth. Certainly the courtesy of returning a response to this survey on behalf of Pro-Life constituents is of paramount importance.  

Our Earlier Story

Republican State Senate candidate Jeff Mullen Friday picked up the endorsement of conservative leader Phyllis Schlafly, who gained national attention in the 1970s for working to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, according to a news release.

Mullen, a Clive resident and pastor of Point of Grace Church in Waukee, is battling incumbent Pat Ward, also of Clive, in the newly drawn Senate District 22 primary on Tuesday. The district includes Waukee, Clive and parts of West Des Moines.

“Having Phyllis Schlafly’s endorsement means a lot to me,” Mullen said in a news release. “She single-handedly built a powerful team of concerned leaders across the country to take a stand against politically correct attitudes people were supposed to have. Because of her strong stands and years of volunteer activity, countless threats to our freedom and liberty have been stopped. She is a true American hero.”

Mullen has criticized Ward as a GOP moderate voting with Democrats to provide abortions and take guns away from domestic abuse victims.

was on a human services budget bill that, if defeated, would have denied thousands of poor Iowans access to other health in human services bill and likely would have resulted in a lawsuit against the state.

Another Mullen ad accused Ward – one of four Iowa legislators to receive commendations from the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Abuse – of voting to  from domestic violence victims. The senator said she voted to take guns away from wife beaters.

“I’m not a moderate, I’m a conservative and proud to stand with Phyllis Schlafly, Michele Bachmann, Bob Vander Plaats, Kim Pearson, Kim Lehman, Ralph Watts, Aaron Dorr, Mayor Scott Cirksena and other conservative leaders across Polk and Dallas Counties, and outside, who are supporting my campaign,” Mullen said in Friday's news release.

“Jeff Mullen is a conservative leader whom we can trust to stand strong on the life and marriage issues and to fight for taxpayers and job creators," Schlafly said.

Schlafly founded Eagle Forum in 1972 as part of her battle to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. The Eagle Forum PAC is the political arm of the organization and supported Mullen with a $1,000 contribution.

Previously in this race, Patch reported: