Congressional candidate Raul Labrador is touting his endorsement from "Idaho Chooses Life," an anti-abortion lobbying group headed by activist David Ripley, which endorsed Labrador after declaring that he, Vaughn Ward and Harley Brown, all running in the GOP primary race for the 1st District congressional seat, "all scored well" on the group's questionnaire; no other candidates responded to it. Ripley said in a news release, "Our endorsement is meant to honor Raul Labrador's record and service to Idaho."

Labrador is a second-term GOP state representative from Eagle. Ward is a decorated veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and a former aide to then-U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne. Brown is a perennial candidate for various offices whose campaign literature states that he's been called by God to be president of the United States.

The "Idaho Chooses Life" group this year wrote the successful, and controversial, "conscience" legislation that permits any licensed health care provider to refuse to provide any treatment or medication on conscience grounds if it relates to abortion, emergency contraception, stem-cell research or end-of-life care. Gov. Butch Otter allowed the bill to become law without his signature, citing concerns over violating patients' end-of-life care directives.

Labrador, in a press release this morning, said, "I have always believed that government's greatest responsibility is defending the sanctity of human life. It is humbling to have my record and values acknowledged by one of Idaho's leading pro-life groups." He called the endorsement "a big boost to our campaign."

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