Free Republic

The narratives of the midterm elections were set when suburban voters turned against President Trump, women racked up record numbers of electoral wins and Republicans dominated rural states and counties. But dive deeper into the results and some more surprising storylines emerge, from familial ties to long shot candidates, expanding suburbs and new battlegrounds. Here are the overlooked stories that didn’t get enough coverage after the polls closed. Did Puerto Ricans elect Rick Scott? When Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico devastated in 2017, almost 400,000 of the island’s residents moved to the mainland. Many of them landed in Florida, where...

Democrats in Washington state, like their counterparts in the other Washington, don’t always think the law applies to them. They can create elaborate procedures to trip up Republicans in, say, election law. But those requirements are quite optional where they are concerned.Part of this is they see themselves as the good guys, fighting for right – no matter how many jobs are lost, how much damage is done to the economy or how little the measure does to help the environment. If they have to bend a few rules to make it happen – hey, it was the right thing...

If eggs are a staple in your family’s diet and you’d like to keep it that way, now would be a good time to get a few laying hens. Next month, beginning January 1, 2015, the chicken-and-egg production in the United States is in for a big shock. That’s when California’s new regulations on egg-laying hens goes into effect. And the effects of those regs on eggs will be felt nationally, even globally. The incredible, edible, prolate spheroid-shaped poultry product, which has long been one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein, is certain to become significantly more expensive.In...

Happy chickens equal happy consumers, say proponents of Proposition 2, a November ballot measure that calls for the humane treatment of farm animals. The initiative, proposed by the Humane Society of the United States, would ban farmers from raising egg-producing poultry, veal calves and pregnant pigs in small cages and crates by 2015. [snip] California is responsible for about 6 percent of all the nation's table eggs, a $330 million industry in 2007. [snip] The proposition has ignited a counterattack by large-scale conventional farmers and small, cage-free producers alike, who say if the proposition passes it will put them out...

Propositions that are on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot* Bond MeasureProposition 1 SB 1856 (Chapter 697, 2002). Costa. Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century.** **Note: The Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century was originally scheduled to appear on the November 2, 2004, General Election ballot. Subsequently, Senate Bill 1169, Chapter 71, Statutes of 2004, provided that it appear on the November 7, 2006, General Election ballot. However, most recently, Assembly Bill 713, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2006, provides for the submission of this Act on the November...

Ward Connerly has done it again: A striking 58% of Michigan voters gave the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative a thumbs up; only three counties voted against it. The language of the MCRI closely tracks California's 1996 Proposition 209, also led by Mr. Connerly. It amends the Michigan Constitution to "ban public institutions from using affirmative-action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes." The political and business establishments, pressure groups like the AARP, labor-union leaders, religious spokesmen, the professoriat, the major Detroit...

After an otherwise grim election, conservatives can exult in the improbable, landslide win of Proposition 2 banning racial and gender preferences in Michigan. A pity the Republican party can’t share in the celebration. That’s because Michigan Republicans found it more politically expedient to join Democrats and Big Business in opposition to Prop 2 than to fight for the principle of race neutrality in government admissions, hiring, and contracting. The party’s reasoning? By throwing the initiative overboard, they hoped to keep minority turnout low, thus helping GOP nominee Dick DeVos in his run for governor against incumbent Jennifer Granholm. But these...

Texas voters Tuesday overwhelming approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, a proposal to repeal a new gay-rights law was trailing in early returns. The contest in Texas was decided quickly _ the ban was receiving more than 74 percent of the votes in early returns. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings. The campaign had been enlivened over the past week because of a controversial tactic by the...

On November 8, 2005 Texans will be asked to vote on an amendment to the Texas Constitution that will prohibit the legalization of same-sex unions in Texas. The Catholic Bishops of this state share the conviction with most Texans that marriage is a lifelong union between one man and one woman. This relationship is unique among creation in so far as it is established by God. This fundamental truth ought to be recognized as such in law. As Bishops, we have addressed this issue of marriage and same-sex unions in various documents at the national level. We have always appreciated...

Early voting continues through Friday for the Marriage Amendment and eight other constitutional amendments. Chairman Tina Benkiser has worked tirelessly to raise money for GOTV efforts in support of Proposition 2. The Texas GOP has also sponsored marriage rallies and conducted radio and press interviews across the State. With less than one week remaining before Election Day, it is imperative that Republican activists do everything possible to help turnout local Party loyalists as well as friends, neighbors and fellow churchgoers. Groups opposing marriage are actively conducting a campaign of deception. We must work to not only turn out our voters...

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Ku Klux Klan plans to rally in Austin to support the gay marriage amendment set for the Nov. 8 ballot. The rally planned on the steps of city hall the Saturday before the election will urge voters to favor proposition 2. However, some who support proposition 2 don't welcome the KKK's assistance. One such person is Pastor Ryan Rush of Bannockburn Baptist Church. Rush said that a group that would come in that is characterized as hateful and bigoted is not welcome in this city. He said he doesn't want the Klan as a partner on...

This is OUTRAGEOUS! Pro-gay marriage groups are calling voters lying to them about Proposition 2, to try and get people to vote against it. Prop 2 would make any and all gay marriages illegal in Texas, PERIOD, and these liberal aclu funded groups are calling tens of thousands of voters, maybe more, especially the elderly who vote in support of traditional marriage in massive numbers, trying to deceive them about the proposition to get them to vote against it. PLEASE forward this to everyone you know, and encourage them to vote YES on Proposition 2, and to forward this to...

As gay-rights activists launch an all-out attack on a constitutional measure banning same-sex marriage in Texas, they face an uncomfortable fact: A few lawmakers who received their support in the past helped push the proposed amendment through the Legislature. Some amendment foes view the vote as a betrayal, but with few good alternatives, they appear uncertain about whether to dish out punishment in next year's election. Legislators such as Reps. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, and Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, who had received support from gays or endorsements from gay-rights organizations, were among 18 Democrats who cast votes in April that moved...

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has reached out to 10,000 Texans by e-mail asking for their support of a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. In turn, an anti-amendment group sent out 10,000 mailers to Democrats accusing Perry and fellow Republicans of attacking gay and lesbian families. Perry's e-mail, sent Tuesday, said: "That marriage is the union between a man and a woman is a truth known to each one of us already, and any attempt to allow same-sex marriages is a detriment to the family unit and hurts our state and nation."...