WASHINGTON — Following victory in New Hampshire, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is showing signs of a comeback after suffering heavy losses in fundraising and support last July.

In spite of the stumble, McCain has forged on, returning to more of an independent style of campaigning, gaining the support of primary voters in New Hampshire.

With McCain’s win in New Hampshire, voters are taking a second look at the man and his mission as he gains momentum on his way into the upcoming Michigan primary. In a Republican field fraught with newcomers, many GOP voters who elected George W. Bush are now taking a closer look at McCain, Bush’s rival from the 2000 primary elections.

At that time, McCain faced criticism from pro-life activists as Bush rapidly gained the majority of support from pro-life voters. McCain suffered criticism from the pro-life community who saw him as the weaker candidate on the issue, in spite of a largely pro-life Senate voting record.

McCain emerged in this election cycle with a well defined pro-life vision, gaining some support from important pro-life politicians.

As pro-life champion Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., dropped out of the race, he endorsed McCain, a move that strengthened McCain’s pro-life support.

“John McCain has spent a lifetime standing up for human rights around the world, including a consistent 24-year pro-life record of protecting the rights of the unborn,” Brownback said.

McCain has also gained the support of Frank Keating, a pro-life former governor of Oklahoma. Keating and Brownback serve as co-chairmen of McCain’s Catholic coalition group.

McCain “has some good people in his campaign and they are people that I respect,” said Brian Burch, president of Fidelis America. “He brings the stature of a senior senator, and commands respect from his congressional colleges.”

“The fact that Brownback has endorsed McCain is a strong signal to members of the pro-life community that his position is serious and not just politically expedient,” said John Jakubczyk, former president of Arizona Right to Life. Jakubczyk noted that, in spite of his pro life voting record, some voters have been skeptical of McCain’s commitment to the issue in the past.

Stem-Cell Suspicions

In spite of McCain’s strengthened pro-life platform, he still draws ire from the pro-life community for his continued support for government funding of embryonic stem-cell research.

As a presidential candidate, McCain joined Democrats last year to help pass a Senate bill that included federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Although the bill was vetoed by President Bush, McCain continued to support the issue and reaffirmed his position during a presidential debate shortly after the vote.

“I believe that we need to fund this,” McCain answered in a question about the issue formed by debate moderator Chris Matthews. “This is a tough issue for those of us in the pro-life community. … We need to do what we can to relieve human suffering. It’s a tough issue. I support federal funding.”

As breakthrough research diminishing the need for research on embryonic stem cells was widely hailed in the latter part of 2007, pro-life activists asked McCain again about the issue in a conference call.

“I’m not there yet on changing that position for a couple reasons,” said McCain. “One, I don’t think it’s totally been proven yet and, second of all, there’s always the flip-flop aspect of this issue.”

McCain has castigated fellow Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for changing his position on embryonic stem-cell research.

Pro-life activists believe that if McCain changes his position on federal funding he could win more support. “McCain needs to abandon his position on stem cells,” Burch stated flatly. “That would make him significantly more appealing to Catholic voters.”

“This is a serious issue that he [McCain] needs to address, and he recognizes it,” Jakubczyk said. “He needs to amend his previous position and show a respect for the emerging science.”

Jakubczyk indicated that Arizona Right to Life tends not to make endorsements in the primary contests, although each state chapter can make endorsements independent of the National Right to Life chapter.

In November, National Right to Life gave its endorsement to former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, whose support has rapidly declined. Thompson got fewer than 3,000 votes in New Hampshire.

McCain made enemies within the pro-life community for his leadership on campaign finance reform. In a highly contested feud with National Right to Life, McCain openly criticized the organization for opposing his campaign finance reform and complained in a letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

We never did like [McCain’s] full sponsorship on McCain-Feingold,” Jakubczyk said.

Moving Forward

In spite of McCain’s past, some voters see him as a well-rounded candidate who stands above the Republican field in character and experience.

“Many people are looking for a candidate who will combine foreign policy experience with gravitas and seriousness concerning the state of the world and the nation, combined with respect for the human person,” said Jakubczyk.

Burch noted that Catholics might support McCain because of his demonstrated comprehensive effort on immigration reform.

“On the question of immigration, even if you disagree with his proposal, he is a candidate that has admittedly tried to find a balance between the need to accommodate immigrants and enforce our laws.”

Burch agreed that McCain was gaining some Catholic support, but noted the field still had many choices.

“As long as there are a number of alternative candidates, people might be hesitant to support McCain,” Burch said. “At the same time if he can convince people that he is serious about a number of the issues he might gain more support from Catholic voters down the road.”

Charlie Spiering is based in Washington, D.C.