Even before news that President Barack Obama claimed a second term in the White House late last night, Republicans and conservatives had already begun searching for someone, or something, to blame for their candidate's defeat.
With Obama's victory, Democrats have won four of the last six presidential elections going back to 1992.
Early on election night, conservative Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly blamed the eventual loss on Hurricane Sandy, suggesting the storm which ravaged the northeast just a week ago took all of the momentum out of the hands of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney.
Gay candidates and causes lead landmark election
The Secretary of State is investigating errors made by Fulton County elections officials in the July 31 primary including races with gay candidates.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that "results showed several of Fulton's precincts had a voter turnout greater than 100 percent, including one with a 23,300 percent turnout."
The state is specifically investigating the Democratic primary for House District 58, which openly gay Rep. Simone Bell won with 58.7 percent of the vote. According to the AJC, 345 voters in a small section of Reynoldstown were incorrectly sent to vote in the District 59 race.
Seven openly gay men and women are vying for seats in the Georgia General Assembly — some incumbents, some newcomers — while a lesbian seeks to replace a retiring Fulton County judge, making 2012 one of the gayest election seasons to date.
But most of the gay incumbents and candidates do not have until the general election in November to make their case to the public. Since those running for Georgia House seats are Democrats in mostly Democratic districts — and only two races include Republican candidates — many contests will be decided in the July 31 general primary.
Qualifying was held May 23-25. Gay candidates on the ballot will include incumbent state Reps. Karla Drenner, Simone Bell, Rashad Taylor and Keisha Waites. Also qualifying is longtime Atlanta politico Ken Britt, who is making his first run for political office after working behind the scenes on such successful gay campaigns as Alex Wan for Atlanta City Council and Joan Garner for Fulton County Commissioner.
Mitt Romney's changing positions on issues over the years is fodder for late-night TV comedians, political opponents and disgruntled Republicans, who say he's no different than Barack Obama on many of the country's most important issues.
I guess that means Romney is also a Muslim Communist terrorist sympathizer who goes around promoting class warfare?
Take the 1994 Romney for example. That Romney said he would do more for gay rights than then-Sen. Ted Kennedy during a debate leading up to that year's election. Romney also said that he supported an inclusive Boy Scouts of America, where he sat on the organization's board of directors for the better part of a decade.
Win in Decatur; runoff in East Point; losses in Savannah, Milton and East Point
At least five openly gay candidates will appear on Nov. 8 ballots for local government seats in Georgia, although one is unopposed for re-election.
Kecia Cunningham, who in 1999 became Georgia’s first African-American openly gay elected official, is unopposed in her bid for another four-year term on the Decatur City Commission.
Cunningham represents District 2, Post B, on the nonpartisan commission in the gay-popular Atlanta suburb. The official candidate qualifying period for November’s election began Aug. 29 and ended Sept. 2.
Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah and more recently, the U.S. Ambassador to China, officially announced today his intention to seek the Republican nomination to run against President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election.
Set against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Huntsman read a prepared statement.
“Today, I am a candidate for the office of the President of the United States of America,” Huntsman said.
While the governor of Utah, Huntsman held several moderate positions and even endorsed a bill that would have provided civil unions for same-sex couples in the state, according to The Atlantic. Huntsman has also supported a bill to outlaw housing and employment discrimination for LGBT persons while governor.
This year, Georgia elects a new governor, every state constitutional office, and every seat in the state legislature, plus many other offices ranging from U.S. Senate to county commissions.
The upcoming July 20 primaries will determine which Republicans and Democrats will battle it out in the Nov. 2 general election. A few November races also include a Libertarian or independent candidate as well.
The primary ballot includes three openly gay candidates: Joan Garner and Keisha Waites for Fulton County Commission District 6, and Keith Gross for State House District 80.
And while few candidates for the state’s top offices have openly campaigned for LGBT votes, many have long records — some positive, more negative — on issues that impact our community.