Real Kato Blog: 2006 Election Highlights

A brief recap of election results.

It's cloudy today, but somehow I just know the sun is shining just a little bit brighter over America.

Things went very well for Democrats in yesterday's elections. They've reversed the Republican majority in the house and are poised to control the House of Representatives, 232-203. (They're currently projected to win 228 seats, and they are leading in four close races.) Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker of the House, and while I don't envy the scrutiny she will receive, I congratulate her for being the first female Speaker. She holds the highest office of any woman in the country. She'll be reviled by misogynists much the way Hillary Clinton is, but hopefully she'll be able to stand up to that.

In the Senate, it's currently 49-49, with Virginia and Montana still too close to call. Democrats James Webb and Jon Tester hold razor-thin leads in those races, so it's likely to come down to recounts, and the final results might not be available for several weeks. But they hold leads nonetheless, and I'm optimistic about both races. Even if it's 50-50 (with Dick Cheney holding a tie-breaking vote), Democrats will be able to demand concessions when it comes to committee memberships and certain parliamentary issues.

We've effectively ended Bush's presidency two years early. No more rubber-stamp legislation, no more free passes on Constitutional violations.

Whew.

I'll post more thorough results and analyses later, but here are some national highlights:

- Claire McCaskill won in Missouri, and not coincidentally, a stem-cell research proposal passed there as well.

- Bob Menendez held off his Republican challenger in New Jersey, a place where Republicans hoped to pick up a seat.

- The South Dakota abortion ban was defeated.

- The Arizona gay marriage ban was defeated. (This is the first state to defeat such an amendment.)

Local highlights:

- Former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler won a seat for the Democrats in the House, in a western North Carolina district dominated by Republicans.

- Democrats posted gains in the state legislature and the state supreme court.

- The Wake county school bond proposal passed.

- Mike Nifong was re-elected as Durham's district attorney.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: politics

Comments

Comment #1 from Timothy Ross (Guest)
2006 Nov 8 - 10:34 am : #

Of course 6 or 7 states DID pass gay marriage bans (including our ultra-liberal neighbor to the south) so I guess not all was good.

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