Some More Election News

Bisexual Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has appeared to have won her close race for Congress,* and is one of many intriguing newbies or potential newbies.  She would not be the "first non-theist" (Rep. Stark, non-theist Unitarian fits the bill), but that just adds to her promising resume. Diversity (the whole NH delegation will be women) comes in various ways, including religion, which is notable even if there is no religious test on the record:

Hawaii had two momentous elections. First, they elected Mazie Hirono as the state's first woman senator. She is also the first Japan-born immigrant, the first Buddhist, and the first Asian-American woman elected to the US Senate. Stepping into Hirono's former seat in the US House of Representatives will be Tulsi Gabbard, a 31-year-old Iraq War Veteran, who will be the first Hindu-American to serve in the US Congress. Well done, Hawaii.

Tulsi Gabbard, showing the complex dynamics possible regarding such things, has said that her military experience has led her to have more liberal social views:

"It brought me to a deeper understanding of the meaning of freedom in our country," Gabbard said in an interview. "We cannot afford to walk down that dangerous path of government overstepping its boundaries into the most personal parts of our lives."

Meanwhile, this review of the election results, including some ballot measures, including a couple lesser known local losses for same sex rights, was helpful.  More helpful would be a reform of re-districting in which legislatures would not skewer things in ways that don't accurately reflect the electorate. Gerrymandering is quite old, but it is ever more possible these days.  Along with national voting standards (now at risk with a new Supreme Court cert grant)  and less partisan control.

This will (perhaps) mark the end of election news until the electoral votes are placed and counted, at least, if they do something interesting!

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* As the first article notes, her (black) Republican opponent, outside of SSM, has really downplayed any anti-gay rhetoric in the campaign, more so in fact that Sinema's Democratic primary challenger. I'm not very gung ho on the "Republican Liberty Caucus" idea, but there are some exceptions -- see this thread as to Rep. Jeff Flake, though the right to choose an abortion is usually a basic requirement for me.