Election Night 2006

Even though I didn't - because I couldn't - vote, I watched as much as I could of the election night coverage before I came to work. I'm at work now, that's true, but it's been a slow night so I've been able to ramble around the Internet for a spell.

It's a historic night. The Republicans were the big winners in 1994 with Newt Gingrich enjoying the ride all the way to the Speaker-ship. It seems that Nancy Pelosi is now heading that way since the Democrats have taken the House. She will likely be the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Indiana's Richard Lugar won a sixth term in the Senate - no suprise, seeing as he faced no opposition from a Democrat and little opposition from a Libertarian (he obtained 89% of the votes). Indiana's nine congressional districts now have 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans to represent them. If you want to make an argument that Indiana is become blue-er, go right ahead.

I'm an Ohioan, so I watched the Ohio results with great interest. I went to college in Mike DeWine's old Congressional district, and I voted for him when he became the junior Senator from Ohio. I felt a tinge of sadness when I saw he'd been defeated by Sherrod Brown. It certainly appears that Ohio is returning to its Democratic roots, with Ted Strickland beating Ken Blackwell to become Ohio's next governor (this win seems more like a repudiation of the Taft administration scandals than anything else). I was pleased to see that Mike Turner kept his congressional seat.

Sorry, Kossacks. Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman in the primary for one of Connecticut's seats in the Senate, but Lieberman beat Lamont in the election that really counted. I wonder how those in Congress who compaigned for Lamont will act toward Lieberman now. As for Ned, he can go back to living in obscurity - with all his money.

No big suprise that the Governator was re-elected. Perhaps the good people of California didn't want him to make any more movies, so they kept him in office.

Joe Carter offered his thoughts on what may have affected a lower evangelical turn-out.