PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The executive director of Oregon's leading anti-abortion group is calling for U.S. congressional candidate Mike Erickson to quit the race, saying he has "become tainted" by claims that he impregnated a girlfriend and paid for her abortion.

But Erickson, who has denied the allegations, told The Associated Press he fully discussed the matter with members of Oregon Right to Life two years ago, when he first ran for Congress against incumbent Rep. Darlene Hooley, and that the organization had still granted him their endorsement.

"The accusations are absolutely not true," Erickson said Thursday in some of his first comments to the media since the story surfaced earlier this week. "I have never asked a woman to get an abortion, ever. It's dirty politics at its worst."

Oregon Right to Life has endorsed Erickson's opponent in the GOP primary, former legislator Kevin Mannix, who this week sent a letter to 60,000 voters in the district that outlined the allegations.

Of the two, Mannix has the higher profile in the district. He has run four times for statewide office and chaired the state Republican party. But Erickson, a wealthy Lake Oswego businessman, has poured more than $500,000 of his own money into the race, spending much of it on television commercials. That visibility has paid off, and polls now show him with a slight lead.

The winner will compete in what's expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races in the country because Hooley is retiring and the district is closely split between Democrats and Republicans.