Rumor Has it: Brownback is Out

The Boston Globe, The Associated Press and others are reporting that Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) will officially drop out of the race for Republican presidential nominee on Friday, October 19. Although always considered a longshot to win the nomination, Brownback held high favor among radical evangelicals who have been hard-pressed to find a Republican worth backing and have actually threatened to form a third party if Rudy Giuliani were to win the GOP nomination.

Senator Brownback was converted to Catholicism just five years ago by an Opus Dei preist (did you read The DaVinci Code?!) but is not an official member of Opus Dei. However, his Catholicism has not barred him from being embraced by the fundamentalist crowd. In fact, he is known for his opposition to same-sex marriage and a woman's right to choose, and his anti-evolution stance.  

Brownback has missed 123 votes as of August 12, 2007 this session because of his campaign schedule - just behind Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who missed 149 votes due to campaigning and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) who has been critically ill. But when he does vote, Brownback is a consistently conservative voter.

He voted against reauthorizing SCHIP, against Health Care for Veterans, in favor of the Same-Sex Marriage Amendment, against the Medicare Part D Amendment, against Habeus Corpus for US Detainees, in favor of Declaring English the National Language, in favor of Offshore Drilling in Virginia and against Troop Reduction in Iraq.

Brownback's voting record has earned him low ratings among environmental groups and the ACLU, but the National Clergy Council called him "the gold standard for a viable conservative presidential candidate."

So who will the National Clergy Council support in Brownback's absence? The Ames, Iowa straw poll gave former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas the lead in August. As a firm supporter of the war in Iraq who is decisively pro-life, pro-death penalty and anti-gun control, not to mention an ordained Southern Baptist Minister, Huckabee could emerge as the darling of the Religious Right.

Reporting only $1 million raised in the third quarter, Huckabee can't compete with the coffers of Giuliani or Romney (who ended the third quarter with roughly $9 million cash on hand). However, an announcement by Brownback tomorrow could free up enough fundamentalist cash to give Mike Huckabee the surge he needs.