Idaho gubernatorial candidate “Pro-Life,” ne Marvin Richardson, went down in defeat on Tuesday to Republican representative and millionaire Butch Otter. Back in August, Richardson officially dropped his first and last names in favor of “Pro-Life.” He did so to make sure his views would be right there on the ballot…instead of his name. On the campaign trail Richardson, uh sorry, Pro-Life, called himself “the most conservative politician in Idaho,” which is to say, pretty darned conservative given his state’s track record. Still, even in this conservative stronghold, his gimmick fell flat; he ended up with only 2% of votes.
One other thing to note is that the candidate made the name change a family affair: Pro-Life’s wife and son both took the term as their middle names. They are now, officially, Faith Pro-Life and Christian Pro-Life Richardson.
For more on the appauling trends in appellations check out “What’s in a Name” in the current issue of Mother Jones.
