Healthy alliances

Going back to the American Revolution, the winning movements against governmental economic and religious tyranny have been coalitions of small-government advocates and Christian conservatives. Some new Republican members of the House of Representatives showed that coalition sense through the stands they took and the endorsements they received:

Adrian Smith, a Liberty University graduate, won in Nebraska with endorsements from both the anti-tax Club for Growth and the pro-life National Right to Life Committee (NRL).

Jim Jordan, a father of four who attends Grace Bible Church in Urbana, Ohio, won with the support of the Club for Growth and Ohio Right to Life.

Lutheran Michelle Bachman, mother of five and foster mother of 23, strongly opposes abortion and led Minnesota's campaign against gay marriage; she received support from both NRL and the Club for Growth.

Former minister Tim Walberg won in Michigan after beating a moderate Republican in the primary with endorsements from the Club for Growth and NRL and a platform that called for "reducing taxes; stopping pork-barrel spending; defending marriage, life, and our constitutional rights."

Bill Sali won in Idaho with endorsements from NRL and the Club for Growth. Sali's talk about an abortion/breast cancer link while a state legislator led National Journal to write that "the obstinacy that made Sali a pariah to the Idaho Republican establishment earned him praise from social-conservative activists, who admired his maverick, no-nonsense style."

Baptist David Davis, with endorsements from NRL and Tennessee Right to Life, ran as a small-government conservative who believes "in God, love of family, devotion to country, hard work, and personal responsibility."

Peter Roskam, an Illinois opponent of abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, defeated Iraq War veteran and double amputee Tammy Duckworth to succeed the retiring Henry Hyde.

Doug Lamborn, father of five, wasn't endorsed by his primary opponents but still won in the Colorado Springs area with endorsements from the Club for Growth and NRL.