Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, left, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mourdock2012/8100688083/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Hoosiers for Richard Mourdock 2012</a>/Flickr
Richard Mourdock, who’s running for US Senate in Indiana, is only the latest Republican to court controversy with comments about rape and pregnancy. On Tuesday night Mourdock voiced his opposition to abortion even in cases of rapes, saying that a pregnancy resulting from rape is “something God intended to happen.”
Mitt Romney has already distanced himself from Mourdock’s rape comment. “We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him,” Romney’s campaign said in a statement. However, Mourdock’s Senate campaign has benefited from the largesse of Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Ryan’s leadership political action committee, Prosperity PAC, gave $5,000 to Mourdock’s campaign during the 2012 election cycle.
Mourdock has received tens of thousands of dollars more from other lawmakers’ leadership PACs. Mourdock backers include Sens. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), John Barasso (R-Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who is a top Romney campaign adviser.
Before his rape comments, Mourdock enjoyed a modest lead in his Senate race over Democratic congressman Joe Donnelly, according to RealClearPolitics.
Correction: The headline of this post initially misspelled Mourdock’s name.
