Mike Erickson who claims to be "pro-life" but paid for a girlfriend's abortion more than two years ago, defeated the other so-called "pro-life" candidate, Kevin Mannix, in the GOP primary in Oregon's Fifth Congressional District. Erickson will face Democrat Kurt Schrader, who is pro-choice, in November.

Erickson paid for the abortion of an ex-girlfriend more than two years ago and Oregon Right to Life knew, but did not disclose the information throughout Erickson's first run for Congress in 2006. Mannix released the information only eight days before the 2008 elections and Oregon Right to Life then called on Erickson to drop out of the race. Now he is their nominee.

Mannix is a fixture in far-right anti-choice politics in Oregon, having held and sought numerous state offices, and aligning himself closely with Sen. Gordon Smith, as well as former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's attack on Oregon's popular Death with Dignity Law.

Both candidates claim their so-called "pro-life" beliefs allow them to impose their narrow values on the rest of the nation. Yet one candidate availed himself of the choices Roe allows, while the other, along with Oregon Right to Life, sat on the information for more than two years. When they did go public, it was in the most manipulative possible way. These tactics define a generation of anti-choice politics personified by the far-right.

Both Mannix and Erickson show complete disregard for women, be it the ex-girlfirend Tawnya who was dropped off at a clinic with $300 from Erickson; or the women like her who need access to reproductive health care services both candidates would deny.

The blog Democracy Under Pressure publishes a must read political lesson, from a confessed Mannix supporter and opposition researcher, that dissects the incident and its political fallout, as well as the background.

After I received the Email I begin researching whether this is true. I did the opposition research for Kevin Mannix's campaign, and it was my "job" (although I was a volunteer) to track down these leads. After only a few days of research I concluded that the allegations in the Email were true.

I also knew that at least two media outlets were considering running with the story. Myself and one other person associated with the campaign had been in contact with those outlets, feeding them information and trying to Gauge when - or if - a story would break. They kept telling us "soon", but nothing ever transpired.

Fast Forward to last Monday. The previous weekend the campaign had several internal discussions about using the Email. The campaign made the decision to send out the Email, in part to win the race, but also in part to let the voters know that Erickson is not what he claims to be. We released the Email on Monday, and the story went "nuclear", as one reporter described it.

The post goes on to detail various communications strategies that represent solid communications advice, leading us to two important conclusions given Erickson won:

• Many Republicans (in addition to majorities of independents and Democrats) will support candidates who counsel or pay for abortions for a loved one, making it pretty clear that this country is solidly pro-choice.

• The slash and burn tactics of the far-right have failed in three special elections, and now against one of their own in a primary. Americans are fed up with the tactics of social conservatives.

Update 10:05 a.m.

More evidence that this election cycle will totally repudiate social conservative policies and tactics is seen in the Mannix loss. Jesse Stanchak of CQ writes,

It may also be Ericksons’ supporters were less likely to care about the abortion story than Mannix’s were. In a survey taken before the scandal erupted, conservatives made up 61 percent of respondents and favored Erickson by just 2 percent. Meanwhile, moderates leaned toward Erickson by 10 points. Among liberal Republicans, Erickson led by 19. Mannix identified himself heavily with Christian social conservatives in his previous runs for governor. Many Oregon political watchers cited Mannix’s association with social issues as a deciding factor in his 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary loss, in which voters favored more moderate Portland school board member Ron Saxton by 13 points.

The Schrader vs. Erickson race is expected to be close because the district, represented by the retiring Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR), has also voted for Bush in his two national campaigns.

Updated 4:25 p.m. 

TPM Election Central reports that Dems are feeling stronger about this seat given Erickson's win in the GOP primary.

The abortion allegations have already cost Erickson the support of a key pro-life group, Oregon Right to Life, which means his candidacy in a general election will be an uphill struggle without activist support.

"We will not be supporting his candidacy," said Oregon Right to Life's political director, Lois Anderson, who said that she fully believes the allegations to be true. Erickson has said he drove the woman to a doctor's office and gave her money, but didn't know it was for an abortion.

But Anderson isn't buying it: "Quite frankly, it's difficult to believe that he could be that clueless."