Stivers tries to make inroads with right for rematch with freshman Rep. Kilroy

[ccharles000]

Few candidates running for Congress in 2010 know the perils of upsetting the conservative base better than Steve Stivers.

The pro-abortion-rights, centrist Republican lost by less than 1 percent in 2008, while two conservative third-party candidates took 9 percent of the vote. So now Stivers, in his second campaign against Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio), is making more of an effort to reach out.

The former state senator has made building inroads with tea party groups and anti-abortion-rights communities a priority this time around. Though he insists he’s still running as a center-right candidate, he appears more apt in 2010 to play up the “right” portion of that equation.

Stivers recently filled out a questionnaire for a local 912 Project group that lays out some of his more conservative leanings. On the form, Stivers criticizes cap-and-trade legislation and praises the Stupak amendment that puts greater restrictions on abortion funding.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/75367-stivers-tries-to-make-inroads-in-rematch-with-kilroy