“He’s got a 24-year pro-life voting record,” said Brownback of his colleague. “[ Former Massachusetts Gov.] Romney was pro-choice.
“McCain is a hard-rock fiscal conservative — no one is close to him on fiscal conservatism,” he said.
The Kansas senator acknowledges that McCain has a “mixed” record on “economic growth issues,” an allusion to McCain’s opposition to President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cut proposals, but says that McCain’s rebellion on those tax cuts stemmed from his strong sense of fiscal responsibility.
Ultimately, Brownback argues, social conservatives should vote for McCain because he is electable and they can rely on him to appoint conservative justices to the Supreme Court.
“The most important reason to win the presidency is so we don’t lose ground on the Supreme Court,” said Brownback, who fears a November victory by Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would shift the court’s ideological balance to the left.
Brownback’s greatest political contribution to McCain may be his influence among Catholic voters, an important swing constituency that is expected to figure prominently in both parties’ general election strategies.
Brownback sent nine volunteers to Florida before the Jan. 29 primary to reach out to Catholic voters on McCain’s behalf. Those operatives in turn built up a 200-member volunteer network and helped McCain reverse his disappointing performance among Catholics in Michigan.
In Michigan, Romney beat McCain by five points among Catholics who regularly attend church, according to exit polls. In Florida, McCain beat Romney 37 percent to 31 in this demographic.
This week, Brownback authored an op-ed in the National Catholic Register defending McCain’s record on abortion. In an essay titled “Pro-Lifers Can Trust McCain,” Brownback responded to a columnist’s criticism of McCain.
“John McCain is not pro-life out of convenience, but based on principle,” he wrote.
Brownback’s support has also helped reassure conservatives wary of McCain’s support for stem-cell research. Brownback believes such research will die down as a political issue because technical advances have enabled researchers to work on stem cells without destroying embryos.
Following his exit from the race last October, speculation mounted that Brownback would back New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).
Two dozen reporters staked out Brownback’s Senate office when he met with Giuliani to discuss a possible endorsement.
“It was the most press I ever got as a presidential candidate, except the thing was I had left the field by then,” said Brownback.
Eventually, Brownback settled on McCain, with whom he had grown close after years of working together on the Senate Commerce Committee.
Brownback’s partnership with McCain has prompted some political observers to wonder whether Brownback may be hoping to be named to the Republican ticket this summer.
“If it comes up, I will certainly look at it,” he said. “But people speculate about that much earlier than anyone [on the campaign] is thinking about it. I think that speculation is way too early.”
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