Religion News Service has an interesting news roundup on the day after the mid-term elections:
Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
It’s the morning after the night before, and it’s feeling a lot like 1994. Time to read the Tea leaves:
By now it’s clear that Nancy Pelosi will be passing the speaker’s gavel to Ohio’s John Boehner as the Democrats retained a slight majority over in the Senate. Religion wasn’t a huge issue in the 2010 midterms, but a couple of notable races stand out:
— Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a darling of social conservatives, is headed to the governor’s mansion.
— Virginia Rep. Tom Periello, a thoughtful Democrat whose Catholic faith informed his progressive politics, lost 51 to 47 despite a last-minute push by President Obama. Periello said he’d always remember that “Judgment Day is always more important than Election Day.”
— Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell, a former spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, lost her Tea Party-fueled Senate bid, 57 to 40.
— Texas Gov. Rick Perry easily beat back former Houston Mayor Bill White, 55 to 42 percent, to become the longest-serving governor in Lone Star State history; keep an eye on him for a possible 2012 Oval Office bid.
— South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, a Republican daughter of Indian immigrants who faced questions about her Christian conversion, won her race for governor, 51 to 47.