When pro-life Republican Ken Cuccinelli lost a narrow election to pro-abortion candidate Terry McAuliffe in the race for governor in Virginia, some political pundits and pro-abortion Republicans suggested the abortion issue hurt the Republican candidate.

However, a new study finds the opposite is true and that a concerted effort by Cuccinelli and his supported to highlight McAluliffe’s pro-abortion views almost won him the election.

Consider the following from Campaigns and Elections magazine, which should help pro-life groups make the case that pro-life candidates are helped on the issue of abortion — whether they win or lose. When they win, it’s in part because of the abortion issue. When pro-life candidates lose, they would have lost by a larger margin without the pro-life advantage.