Right to Life issues early endorsement for Michigan attorney general

Lansing — The influential anti-abortion group Right to Life of Michigan has endorsed former state House Speaker Tom Leonard in the race for the GOP's attorney general nomination.

The announcement on Monday was a boon for Leonard, who's competing with Kalamazoo lawyer Matthew DePerno, who's backed by former President Donald Trump, and state Rep. Ryan Berman to run against incumbent Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, in November.

"Tom has always been a champion for life as both a public servant and as a father," said Barbara Listing, president of Right to Life of Michigan. "His leadership and pro-life voting record make him the only choice for us. We are proud to support him."

Right to Life's support for Leonard of DeWitt was the first time in years the organization has endorsed a candidate in a convention race, his campaign said.

The attorney general contest comes at a potentially pivotal moment in the fight over abortion rights with some believing the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that created a nationwide right for a woman to have an abortion.

If Roe is overturned, Michigan has a 1931 law on the books that makes it a felony to administer any medicine or substance or employ "any instrument" with the intent to "procure" a miscarriage.

Nessel, the state's current top law enforcement official, said in 2019 that she would not enforce a state abortion ban if federal protections were overturned.

“I will never prosecute a woman or her doctor for making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy,” Nessel said at the time.

Michigan Republican delegates will endorse a candidate for attorney general during a convention on April 23. The GOP nomination won't be officially formalized, however, until August.

In 2018, Nessel defeated Leonard by 3 percentage points. The former GOP lawmaker is hoping for a rematch next year.

In addition to Right to Life's endorsement, Leonard has also received the support of 13 state senators and 28 state House members, according to his campaign.

The competition between Leonard, a Right to Life-backed candidate, and DePerno, a Trump-backed candidate, at the GOP convention will be fascinating, tweeted Adrian Hemond, CEO of the Lansing-based consulting firm Grassroots Midwest.

"(It) will tell us a lot about the base," Hemond said of the Republican Party.

Trump endorsed DePerno in September. DePerno has led a legal effort in Antrim County claiming election fraud took place.

cmauger@detroitnews.com