Poll: Abortion not issue in VP pick

A new, national poll due out Friday by a pro-choice GOP political group will show nearly 70 percent of Republican voters do not consider abortion as a litmus test for the party's vice presidential nominee, potentially benefiting the chances of a pro-choice running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

The poll will also show that most say a McCain running mate who supports abortion would not affect their support for the ticket, as only about 1 in 10 said they are less likely to vote for McCain if his vice presidential nominee supported abortion rights, said a source familiar with the poll results who shared them with The Hill.

{mosads}McCain is widely believed to be considering Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) or former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge as his running mates; both are pro-choice, and in recent days Republicans have been riven by complaints from their conservative base about such a choice.

The poll by Republican Majority for Choice, a pro-choice advocacy group with a political action committee, canvassed 600 likely voters, all registered Republicans, from last Thursday to last Saturday. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.

The group issued a press release late Thursday that said the poll shows that "the majority of Republicans believe the Party platform on abortion needs to change and demonstrates that a socially moderate Vice Presidential running mate would make the GOP ticket more electable."
Other poll results to be unveiled Friday will show that more than 80 percent of respondents believe the GOP's platform should include a statement that Republicans have divergent views on abortion and that disagreement on the issue should be acceptable.

Poll respondents ranked abortion at the bottom of top priorities for the GOP. Fifty-seven percent of respondents ranked economic issues as the party’s top priority, while 24 percent named foreign affairs/homeland security, four percent named education, another four percent named health care and 3 percent answered abortion. The remainder named another issue or didn’t know.

Other results from the poll:

• 78 percent of respondents believe a woman should make decisions regarding abortion, not government.

• 66 percent of self-described “pro-life” voters also said abortion should be a woman's choice, not that of government.

• 68 percent said if McCain chooses a pro-choice running mate, it will have no effect on their support.

• Less than 11 percent said they are unlikely to vote for McCain if he chooses a pro-choice running mate.

Updated on Friday, August 22, at 1:10 pm