WV-Sen: Patrick Morrisey launches pro-life coalition in his bid to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin

Republican Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey recently launched a pro-life coalition in his race against incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D).

More than 100 pro-life advocates have joined the Pro-Life Mountaineers for Patrick coalition since its launch earlier this month, the West Virginia Record reported. The group has begun weekly phone banks, regional meetings and efforts to support U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

"The right to life is fundamental and must be cherished and protected, which is why I'm honored to have so many pro-life West Virginians supporting my campaign for U.S. Senate,"  Morrisey, the West Virginia attorney general said in a release. "This November, pro-life West Virginians will send a U.S. senator to Washington who shares our commitment to standing on the side of life and supporting President Trump's pro-life judges."

State Sen. Patricia Rucker (R) will serve as the coalition's chair.

Which groups have endorsed Morrisey?

The West Virginians for Life and National Right to Life Committee have endorsed Morrisey for the Senate.

"Taxpayer dollars have been going to pay for abortions, covering all nine months of pregnancy for any reason or no reason at all and that's why some 35,000 abortions in West Virginia have been paid for by our tax dollars to the tune of some 10 million dollars," Doug Joseph, state treasurer for West Virginians for Life, told WBOY-TV.

"Patrick Morrisey’s position on life reflects the true values of West Virginia’s voters," National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement.

Morrisey supports Amendment 1, a ballot measure that would amend the Constitution of West Virginia to declare that the state constitution doesn’t protect a woman’s right to an abortion or for the state to fund the procedure.

"[We're] always looking for opportunities to weigh in and lead on the issue of life. We've joined an effort by the states to ensure the states have the ability to defund Planned Parenthood and this is an important legal question that is going to continue to go through the courts and we always stand up," Morrisey told WBOY during the coalition's launch event in Clarksburg.

Where does Manchin stand on the issue?

In 2015, Manchin voted to defund Planned Parenthood, The Hill reported.

But last year, he voted in favor of an Obama-era rule that restricted states from cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood.

Then, in January, the senator broke party ranks and voted in favor of the failed Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in January that would have banned unmedically necessary abortions after 20 weeks.

The Manchin campaign has not responded to TheBlaze's requests for comment.

What else?

President Donald Trump will be campaigning for Morrisey in Charleston Aug. 21.

"I'm honored to welcome President Trump back to West Virginia because he knows we must send a true Trump ally and a conservative fighter to the U.S. Senate," Morrisey said in a release. "Trump and West Virginians know that liberal Joe Manchin has failed our state on the issues that matter most by pushing for gun control, funding Planned Parenthood, and supporting Hillary Clinton's coal-killing campaign."