RandySF
RandySF's JournalI'm happy about the narrow margin in VA.
It gives the tea baggers reason to go on and point fingers at the establishment.
Democrat elected mayor of Toledo against Kasich clone.
6:50 PM PT (Darth Jeff): In Toledo's mayoral race 15 percent is reporting and Councilor Michael Collins leads Mayor Mike Bell 59-41. Both are independents but Democrats are backing Collins over the Kasich-friendly Bell.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/05/1253383/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Nov-2013-election-night-liveblog-thread-9#20131105185057
Progressive Democrat elected mayor of Pittsburgh
City Councilman Bill Peduto was elected mayor of Pittsburgh Tuesday.
With just under half of the city's precincts counted, the Democratic nominee was leading with 84 percent of the vote, overwhelming Republican Josh Wander, with 12 percent, and Les Ludwig, an Independent, with just over 3 percent.
One Peduto ally, Deborah Gross, of Highland Park, had claimed victory in the special election to fill the balance of the council term opened by the resignation of Patrick Dowd in District 7. In other Pittsburgh races, Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak easily fended off a challenge from Samuel J. Hurst while Dan Gilman, Mr. Peduto's chief of staff, was on his way to a landslide victory for the seat soon to be vacated by his boss.
Two other council members, Democrats Robert Daniel Lavelle, Theresa Smith, were unopposed for re-election.
http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-elections-pittsburgh/2013/11/05/Peduto-wins-mayoral-election-in-landslide/stories/201311050190
Democrat beats Republican incumbent for mayor of St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG — St. Petersburg has a new mayor.
Challenger Rick Kriseman topped Mayor Bill Foster with 56 percent of the vote compared to Foster's 44 percent, according to the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections Office.
Kriseman, 51, gathered with supporters at Nova 535, but was huddled in a back room to receive results privately with his family. A Kriseman worker escorted Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn into the room about 7:45 p.m.
Kriseman workers said he would make a speech at 8 p.m., and he emerged at exactly that time.
"I think voters have sent a message that they're ready for change, and I'm ready to be that agent of change," said Kriseman, flanked by supporters that included council member Wengay Newton. "We need to get away from saying no to everything and work toward yes."
Foster, who was gathered with supporters at the Manhattan Casino, called Kriseman to concede about 7:45 p.m. He then addressed the 100 people in the room who had worked to get him re-elected.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/kriseman-leading-foster-in-st-pete-mayors-race/2150994
Charlotte Mayor: Democrat Patrick Cannon wins
Democrat Patrick Cannon, who rose from public housing to successful careers in business and politics, won over Republican Edwin Peacock in Tuesday’s mayoral race.
Cannon had strong support in east, west and north Charlotte. He carried 52.5 percent of the vote, with three of 168 precincts still out. Those precincts are not enough to change the outcome.
As the race tightened just before 9:30 p.m., about 40 people had gathered in front of television screens broadcasting the results at Cannon’s election night gathering at the Sheraton.
Cannon, 46, will succeed Democrat Patsy Kinsey, who was appointed in July when former Mayor Anthony Foxx became U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/11/05/4442483/charlotte-mayor-patrick-cannon.html#.Unm0R5GEzeJ#storylink=cpy
Dem beats Republican incumbent for mayor of Greensboro, NC.
6:22 PM PT (Darth Jeff): 90% reporting in Greensboro and Democrat Nancy Vaughan leads Republican incumbent Robbie Perkins 59-41 in the mayoral race. This one looks very over.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/05/1253381/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Nov-2013-election-night-liveblog-thread-7
Big turnout in Northern Virginia
Virginia voters went to the polls Tuesday morning to decide whether to send Democrat Terry McAuliffe or Republican Ken Cuccinelli II to the Executive Mansion and make their picks for other statewide and local offices as well.
Despite a slight glitch with laptop computers in a few precincts in Loudoun County, election officials said the polling process was going smoothly. Several precincts reported a robust early turnout.
At Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington, precinct captain Charles Head said 400 out of 3,000 registered voters — 13 percent — had voted by 8:45 a.m., “extremely heavy for a non-presidential election.”
At the River Oaks precinct in Woodbridge, where massive lines and delays tarnished the 2012 presidential vote, citizens moved through in a steady, efficient stream.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/polls-open-across-virginia-in-hotly-contested-governors-race/2013/11/04/06c6205c-45d2-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html
Oregon will recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
Salem, Ore.--The state’s deputy attorney general issued a legal opinion on October 16 stating that government agencies can recognize same-sex marriages that are legal in the jurisdictions where they were performed, even though Oregon has a constitutional amendment barring the recognition of same-sex marriage.
The state government’s chief operating officer, Michael Jordan, issued a memo informing state agencies of Deputy Attorney General Mary H. Williams’ opinion, sought since neighboring states Washington and California both allow same-sex marriage and are easy destinations for Oregonian couples seeking to get married.
Unlike in Ohio, Oregonians have protections for same-sex relationships. “Same-sex relationships are given legal recognition in Oregon, in the form of domestic-partnership registration,” Williams wrote. “To defend a refusal to acknowledge marriages, the state would have to articulate a state interest in allowing partnerships but refusing to recognize marriages--and, again, we cannot point to any such interest that would pass constitutional muster at even the lowest possible level of scrutiny, rational basis review.”
She points out that “Oregon law--even those laws enshrined in our constitution--still must pass muster under the federal constitution.” She notes the Loving v. Virginia case that struck proscriptions against interracial marriages and a case that struck down a law prohibiting marriage by people who owe child support.
http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories13/november/1101134.htm
Hawaii Police Union President's Shocking Testimony Against Same-Sex Marriage
That honor went to Tenari Maafala, the President of Hawaii’s police union and an active police officer with the Honolulu Police Department, who testified that he would never enforce a law requiring same-sex marriage.
“You would have to kill me,” he told the lawmakers.
Maafala said that same-sex marriage is contrary to his religious views and, “I stand by my beliefs."
Maafala went on to say that the state should address homelessness and drugs rather than same-sex marriage and that denying gay couples the right to marry is not discrimination if it’s against one's beliefs.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/tenari-maafala-hawaii_n_4215848.html
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit Area, MI
Home country: USA
Current location: San Francisco, CA
Member since: Wed Oct 29, 2008, 01:53 PM
Number of posts: 70,307