Kiss You Kate

In the PA Senate race for Rick Santorum's seat, Daily Kos provides the good news that Kate Michelman has decided not to run as an independent, in Michelman won't make an independent bid, citing the Inquirer announcing the decision.

I had expressed my serious concerns about her possible entry into the race in Ditto. I concur with the sentiments expressed by Jonathan Singer of MyDD, in Michelman Drops Potential Indie Bid:

Would Kate Michelman have added to the race? Would she have made a good Senator? The answer to both of these questions is probably yes. Nevertheless, in the interest of increasing the likelihood that the Democrats win back the United States Senate in November, it's good to see that she will not make an independent bid and help split the Democratic vote against Rick Santorum, thus helping deliver the Senate Republican Conference Chairman another six years in Washington.

Michelman wrote an op-ed piece in today's Inquirer, Pro-choice leader chooses family over politics, in which she explains the valid reasons that led her to consider running. She states that despite her strong belief that the pro-choice movement needs to act because Roe is in substantial jeopardy, she has decided to stay out of the race because of family commitments.

For someone as committed to the cause as Michelman, that just doesn't make sense. Not that family isn't important, but the pro-Choice movement is who she is, it's a fabric of her personality. I assume that the political powers that be (read that: Ed) managed to convince her that she would be hurting the movement in the long run by splitting the vote. In fact, once the word got out that she was considering running as an independent, at least one politician accused her of being responsible for Santorum winning in the first place. See, Get this: Santorum can thank ex-NARAL boss. True or not then, it may well have been true this time around.

In any event, I'm thankful that she's sitting this one out. I'm sure her family will be happy to have her around more as well. So, it's a win-win for all.

Tags: PA politics