Results are coming in for the competitive races in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Chris Shays, one of our greatest champions for animal protection in Congress, has unfortunately lost his bid for reelection in Connecticut's 4th District. Shays is the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, and has been the lead author of numerous bills dealing with farm animal welfare, pets in disasters, canned hunts, and other issues. He helped to usher in a number of policy reforms and the animals of the United States are better off because of his hard work and leadership.

In the good news column, Democratic challenger and friend of animals Suzanne Kosmas has defeated Republican incumbent Tom Feeney in Florida's 24th District. Kosmas has been a strong supporter of animal protection in the Florida state legislature, and Feeney has received among the lowest possible marks annually on the Humane Scorecard. He was even one of only 24 lawmakers who opposed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act in 2006, which requires the inclusion of pets and service animals in emergency plans.

We are watching other close races around the country, and will post the results as they come in.