Head of Republicans for Choice says Ensign ad confuses voters

The Nevada head of Republicans for Choice says John Ensign's campaign ad designed to defuse Ed Bernstein's criticism of his abortion stand is confusing at best and misleading at worst.

Ann Thompson of Reno said the advertisement featuring Nevada First Lady Dema Guinn left a number of voters believing Ensign is pro choice.

"I don't think Dema Guinn did anything wrong," she said. "She meant to say 'We're pro choice, but we're still for John Ensign."

"But it's a confusing ad," she said. "I have had people call me and ask is John Ensign pro choice. Because they took it that way, it is a confusing ad and I told Pete (Ernaut, Ensign's campaign manager) that.

"I personally know he is not pro choice. I respect his opinion on that and that doesn't mean I don't support him."

Bernstein says Ensign's stand on the issue is extremist, opposing abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

The first lady was out of town and unavailable to comment on the allegations, but Ensign campaign manager Pete Ernaut said the ad was not an attempt to make Ensign appear pro choice.

"Clearly John Ensign is pro life and the first lady was merely stating that she and Gail Allen, the other lady in the ad, are both pro choice but supporting John Ensign because of his work on breast cancer and other issues like health, education and welfare," he said.

Thompson said her group is not "pro abortion." They think it's up to the individual and that the issue shouldn't be part of the Republican platform. And she said she would like to think the ad wasn't designed to intentionally mislead anyone.

As for how members of her group will vote, she said she won't advise them.

"That's up to each individual," Thompson said.

"If he did say that about the 11-year-old, that was wrong," Thompson said about a Bernstein camp claim that Ensign indicated during a Pahrump talk show he would oppose abortion even for a child that age who was pregnant after being raped.

"My God, can you imagine what would happen to an 11-year-old who was forced to carry a baby - especially after being raped?"

But Thompson said being a Republican "doesn't mean we have to agree on everything."