Church in the World

New-look Democrats make big gains

American voters on Tuesday stripped Republicans of their majorities in the House of Representatives and state governorships amid widespread discontent over the Iraq war, the economy and ethical scandals. As The Tablet went to press, an uncertain result in Virginia's Senate race held the chamber's control in the balance as several ballot initiatives championed by Church leaders were defeated around the country.

At election night's close, Democrats had gained more than 30 seats in the lower chamber of Congress, ending 12 years of Republican dominance and clearing the path towards the election of Nancy Pelosi, the Catholic Democrat from San Francisco, as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.

In the Senate, Republicans lost at least four seats to place them on a razor's edge of losing the party's majority there. As The Tablet published, 8,000 votes separated Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia and his Democratic opponent, James Webb, a former Cabinet official in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Viewed only months ago as a potential Republican candidate for president in 2008, Mr Allen suffered under suspicions of racism and voter anger over the handling of the Iraq war, which exit polls found was the most prominent issue on the electorate's mind as the vote neared. 

The Republicans lost another leading voice with the defeat of Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, whose outspoken social conservatism earned him the praise of his party's evangelical base and national prominence. Ironically, Mr Santorum lost re-election to a fellow Catholic, Robert P. Casey Jnr, who has come into conflict with his own Democratic Party through his opposition to most abortion and desire to see a reversal of Roe v. Wade. He also opposes federal expansion of stem-cell research.

In closely watched voter referenda at the state level, South Dakota voters solidly rejected a stringent abortion ban forcefully advocated by religious leaders in the heavily Republican state, and voters in Missouri narrowly approved a constitutional amendment to permit embryonic stem-cell research that garnered furious opposition from the state's bishops. The Missouri amendment seemingly aided Claire McCaskill, the Democratic state auditor whose Senate campaign linked itself  to advocacy for the controversial research.  A pro-choice Catholic, Ms McCaskill defeated incumbent Republican Senator Jim Talent.

Also on the ballots, seven of eight states passed proposed bans on same-sex marriage while voters approved a rise in the minimum wage in each of the seven states where their approval was sought.