Here’s a rundown of major “good” results — the good, as in, good for progressives and the LGBT community. I’ll update this throughout the day, but stay tuned also for “the bad” list for progressives and the LGBT community, and the just plain wrong, bad, and ugly.
Here goes.
The Good
UPDATES: 3:00 PM
The Victory Fund reminds us that “more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history. At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, including Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline.”
In a close race, Vermont’s Peter Shumlin is now its Democratic Governor-elect. This is excellent news for the LGBT community, as a state senator, Shumlin has been central to vermont’s support first of civil unions, then, seven years later, of same-sex marriage. It is critical to note that Shumlin was elevate to the Governorship after helping to usher in same-sex marriage.
As a reader notes in the comments below, “One other pro-equality governor: Here in Colorado, we elected John Hickenlooper!” Awesome!
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In important symbolism, Harry Reid kept his Senate seat –Â and Senate Majority Leader Chair — over Tea Party bigot and immigrant-hater Sharron Angle. Angle’s loss, along with Delaware Tea Party “candidate” Christine O’Donnell’s loss, are important wins not only for the LGBT community, but for the integrity of American politics.
Marriage equality advocates are heartened to see pro-equality governors win in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. New York’s Andrew Cuomo won handily over bigoted, anti-gay, pro-pornography, pro-bestiality, pro-racism, anti-Mosque, etc., Carl Paladino. Former Stamford, Connecticut Mayor and pro-gay rights advocate Dan Malloy squeaked by to a projected gubernatorial win. In Rhode Island, Lincoln D. Chafee will become that state’s first Independent Governor. A former Republican, Chafee actually is one of the few who has supported marriage equality in the past.
More good news coming from Rhode Island. The openly-gay mayor of Providence, R.I., David Cicilline, won his Congressional race. He will join three other openly-gay Representatives in Congress, Democrats Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, and Barney Frank.
Massachusetts’ Barney Frank did indeed keep his seat, much to the chagrin of GOProud, who spent a great deal of money, foolishly, attempting to hide their self-contempt.
In honor of GOProud’s efforts, Massachusetts went “all-blue!” Take that, GOProud!
As of this writing, Minnesota Democrat and marriage-equality advocate Mark Dayton is beating Target and Tea Party-supported Republican Tom Emmer in the Minnesota governor’s race. Expect a recount.
California, perhaps, decided to offer equality a payback after Prop 8. They have elected former Governor Jerry Brown back into that office. He roundly beat anti-immigrant and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Brown will not challenge the federal court’s Prop 8 ruling. We’re still waiting the results of the Attorney General’s race there, but it looks like the Democrat, Kamala Harris, has a slim lead. Also in an important win for Democrats, Barbara Boxer beat former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.
In other California news, equality-advocate Gavin Newsom appears to have won the lieutenant governor’s race, and California now ties with Maryland as having seven openly-gay state legislators.
Colorado’s Senator, Michael Bennett has defeated the Tea Party’s anti-gay homophobe, Ken Buck. Also in Colorado, voters defeated an anti-abortion “personhood” amendment that would have established constitutional rights “at the beginning of biological development.”
In New Hampshire, pro-marriage equality Governor John Lynch, whom NOM spent millions trying to defeat, kept his seat.
Tea Party homophobe Joe Miller is losing in Alaska to write-in Republican Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski may be a Republican, but I’ll take her over Miller any day of the week.
What did I miss? Add it in the comments below, or email me. I’ll update this later today, and release “The Bad and The Ugly” list shortly.