The results in Maine and Maryland broke a 32-state streak, dating to 1998, in which gay marriage had been rebuffed by every state that voted on it. They will become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry.
In another gay-rights victory, Minnesota voters defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would banned same-sex marriage in the state. Similar measures were approved in 30 other states, most recently in North Carolina in May.
Washington state also voted on a measure to legalize same-sex marriage, though results were not expected until Wednesday at the soonest.
From a friend in Washington, it looks good there, too, but it will be a day or two before all the ballots are counted -- Washington's a vote-by-mail state.
I was counting on a couple of victories, but a sweep is very nice to contemplate. Nice news to wake up to. I'm very happy.
Oh, and Obama won.
Now that I've caught my breath, some highights:
Allen West, the wingnut from Florida who said that 80 members of the Democratic caucus were card-carrying communists, lost to Patrick Murphy.
Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawai'i who invited the heads of gay rights organizations to a signing ceremony for Hawai'i's civil unions bill, and then vetoed it while they were standing there, lost her Senate bid to Mazie Hirono.
Elizabeth Warren won in Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin won in Wisconsin.
Tammy Duckworth defeated dead-beat teabagger dad Joe Walsh in Illinois, by what looks to be a 10-point margin. I sense some buyer's remorse there.
Alan Grayson is back in Congress!
Joe "rape babies are a gift from God" Mourdock lost in Indiana to De.m Joe Donnelley.
Todd "legitimate rape" Akin is down in Missouri.
Independent Angus King, who is expected to caucus with the Democrats, won an easy victory in Maine.
And under the category "Disgusting People," Salon has a post on the "The 20 Biggest Sore Losers of Election Night". Notice how it's all the media's fault. Oh, and Ann Coulter managed to sneak in at #20 -- I'm sure she's gratified by the attention.
I may add to this later.
By the way -- seeing all the pictures of long lines at the polls, and hearing stories about voters being challenged, or showing up as registered on one list and not registered on another, etc., etc., etc., I'm reminded of how years of corruption can streamline voting, even after you've cleaned up your act: went to my polling place, they looked me up in their big binder, I signed the form, got my ballot, voted, scanned it, and left. Elapsed time, 15 minutes, most of which was spent retaining judges. (We have a LOT of judges in Cook County.)
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