"Never Been Prouder of Grassroots Pro-Lifers".

A look that combined wry amusement with pride gradually swept over Jacki Ragan's face as she responded to a question about the size of the pro-life effort in the November 3 elections.

"Contrary to what you read in most newspapers NRL PAC and right to life citizens did their job -- and more," the director of state organizational development for NRLC told NRL News. "I am enormously proud of pro-life people."

In virtually every election where abortion played a part in deciding the outcome, Ragan said, "there was a net pro-life gain -- an `increment' -- for the pro-life candidate."

Ragan said she was "never more impressed" with the dedication of grasroots pro-lifers. Across this great nation, right down to the smallest community, pro-lifers poured out their hearts in an all-out effort to elect men and women who respect life," she said.

Even when the pro, life bonus was not enough to carry a candidate over the finish line, the magnitude of what pro-lifers did bordered on miraculous. In Wisconsin, for example, Rep. Mark Neumann (R) lost a hotly contested election against incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold (D).

But an amazing one-fifth of all voters polled said abortion affected their vote. Neumann garnered an incredible 82% of that vote, because he was pro-life, compared to Feingold's 17%, because he was pro-abortion.

Even in a state like Maryland, where the Washington-based media is very inhospitable to prolife candidates, the gubernatorial candidate benefitted because she was pro-life, Ragan said.

In 1998, individual pro-lifers continued to gain insight into the political process, Ragan said. Many just took it upon themselves to walk into campaign headquarters, sit down, and immediately begin helping local pro-life candidates as individual volunteers.

"And that kind of hands-on work is important, for all of us need to be reminded how important every vote is, remember the contribution each volunteer can make, and understand the staggering number of manhours it takes to run a campaign," she said. "I am confident the volunteers in this election will take the organizational skills they learned and apply it to the operation of their own pro-life groups."

And it's not too early to start thinking about the year 2000, Ragan said.

"No group that is entirely based on the selfless efforts of volunteers can wait until the summer of 2000 to begin gearing up," she said. Money must be raised, volunteers secured, weaknesses shored up, and strengths built upon, Ragan said.

Beginning now!