Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback strengthened local support for his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and won the backing of visitors Friday at the National Right to Life Committee’s convention.

Though Brownback received only 1 percent in recent national election polls, his appearance at the event left attendees from near and far buzzing.

Kathy Baker, of Parkville, said she was “behind Brownback 100 percent,” and Mary Theisen, 75, of Independence, echoed that.

“He’s right here,” Theisen said. “I can see him a little more than I can see the others.”

Before speaking to the convention, Brownback told reporters he believes Republicans need to expand their position from being “pro-life” to also being “whole-life,” encompassing causes such as ending violence in Sudan’s Darfur region.

“I’ve been fighting this fight for a long time and I believe in it and I think it’s the central social, moral issue of our day,” Brownback said.

Ron Cotterman, who traveled from Dayton, Ohio, to attend the convention, was impressed most with Brownback after a forum featuring the Kansas senator, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“All three represented themselves well,” Cotterman said. But Brownback’s “overall views on life” and “talking about the children in Darfur being just as important really impressed me.”

Julie Burkhart, lobbyist for the Kansas abortion rights group ProKanDo, said she wasn’t surprised people at the Right to Life convention embraced Brownback, calling him a “ringleader” for their cause.

“He just can’t get any traction,” she said of his standing in polls. “I think that shows that the American people look at him as an extremist, and he’s not someone they’re going to support.”

In recent polls, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has made a strong showing, and convention attendees, including Cotterman, watched a three-minute taped message from Thompson on Thursday night.

Thompson emphasized his anti-abortion views and noted that he had received the group’s endorsement when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994.

Thompson is expected to enter the race for the Republican nomination, shaking up its top tier of candidates. But Cotterman felt the message seemed rushed.

“He wasn’t sounding like a presidential candidate and kind of held back a little,” Cotterman said.

Robert Dow, 42, of Red Bank, N.J., said he would reserve judgment of Thompson until he announces his candidacy.

Dow said, however, that Brownback had earned his vote for at least the primaries. Dow said he met the senator at a rally and was impressed by what Brownback said at Friday’s forum.

“He had the best speech and is staying around,” Dow said, gesturing toward the senator as he greeted attendees behind him more than 30 minutes after the forum ended.

The other speakers, Dow said, were just OK.