Monday, June 24, 1996

Anti-Abortion Activists at GOP Convention Claim Victory in Texas

By CHIP BROWN
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO - U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may have succeeded in representing Texas as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, but GOP anti-abortion forces who opposed her are claiming victory.

The Texas GOP Convention ended Saturday with abortion opponents winning a majority of the state's 123 national delegates and vowing to force presumptive presidential nominee Bob Dole to pick a strong abortion foe as his running mate.

"This sends a very clear signal to Bob Dole to stop his meandering around about the pro-life plank and make up his mind about giving us a pro-life presidential running mate," said Bill Price, president of Texans United for Life and the most vocal opponent of Mrs. Hutchison, who supports restricted abortion rights.

Texas GOP Chairman Tom Pauken said he felt sure the delegation was united leaving the convention.

"We came together most of the time," Pauken said. "I feel very good about the entire convention.
"These are people who have committed to vote for Bob Dole when they go to San Diego, and I'm confident they are going to do that," Pauken added.

Despite the vocal support of U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Gov. George W. Bush, Mrs. Hutchison barely survived a voice vote at the convention that some said was too close to call.

"In spite of the fact that we were up against the might of the Republican Party establishment, we got close to and maybe over 50 percent of the vote," Price said.

Pauken said the vote was 60 percent in favor of the at-large slate of delegates that included Mrs. Hutchison.

"I think it's a strong delegation ... that includes Senator Hutchison," Pauken said after the vote. "I think most elements of the party were reasonably satisfied, some were not and these are good sincere people and I understand that their frustrated."

Abortion became a lightning rod at the Texas GOP Convention after Dole requested a "declaration of tolerance" on the issue.

Texas Republicans balked at the request, responding by toughening their abortion platform with the removal of a mother's endangered life as the only exception. They also collected signatures from delegates on a "pro-life pledge."

Dole didn't attend the state convention, but officials on his behalf bargained to make sure Mrs.
Hutchison would be included in the national delegation and avert a potential black eye in Texas.

"It was always our goal that the Texas delegation be one of the most aggressively and overwhelmingly pro-life and pro-family delegations, and that has obviously happened this weekend," said Ralph Reed, executive director of the national Christian Coalition.
"We view this weekend as a major victory for the pro-family movement."

If four other states follow Texas with ardent anti-abortion delegates, party delegates say they could use parliamentary procedure at the national convention to influence Dole's choice of a running mate.
Reed and Pauken, however, predicted that Dole will pick a running mate acceptable to delegates who oppose abortion.

"He (Dole) shares the same goal that we have, which is to make it clear that the Republican Party is an unequivocally, unapologetically and unambiguously pro-life party," Reed said.