On Tuesday, voters from coast to coast sent a strong message that animals deserve to be protected from cruelty and abuse, and the humane movement won resounding victories in the presidential race, congressional races, and ballot issue contests. These new public policies and new and reelected policymakers will have a meaningful impact on the lives of animals for years to come.
There are many races still too close to call, but I want to give you a broad look at how the HSLF-backed candidates are doing tonight in the House and Senate contests. So far, 248 candidates endorsed by HSLF have won tonight, and ten have been defeated. We have lost some good friends in Congress, but we've gained some new allies as well.
The returns continue to come in, and HSLF-endorsed candidates in the House and Senate races now stand at 279 wins and 13 losses. We've lost some great friends of animals in Congress, such as Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) and Reps. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.), Don Cazayoux (D-La.), Phil English (R-Pa.), Ric Keller (R-Fla.), Jon Porter (R-Nev.), and Chris Shays (R-Conn.). We were not against their opponents so much as we were for these incumbents who had been strong supporters and leaders for animal welfare.
The first candidate endorsed by the Humane Society Legislative Fund has been declared a winner this evening. CNN has called the race for Virginia's open U.S. Senate seat, and Democrat Mark Warner is the winner. Warner was a supporter of animal protection when he served as governor, and we congratulate him on the victory and look forward to working with him next year in the Senate.
Here's an update from Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, who is on the ground in Michigan's 9th Congressional District:
FOX News has called the U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire for Democratic challenger Jeanne Shaheen over Republican incumbent John Sununu. The race was one of the top targets for the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which had backed Shaheen and sent mail to more than 37,000 voters in the state.
Returns continue to come in for the U.S. Senate races. HSLF-backed Republican incumbent Susan Collins has won reelection in Maine. She is a great friend of animals, a cosponsor of a raft of humane bills, and a lead author of the resolution calling on Canada to stop its annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals on the Atlantic coast. We are proud to have endorsed her, and congratulate her on the win.
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.
If you haven't heard, Barack Obama has been elected president! It's a historic night, and a great outcome for animals. The Humane Society Legislative Fund had backed Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as both senators have been strong supporters of animal protection legislation. We had been especially concerned about Sarah Palin's terrible record on animal protection and conservation issues in Alaska, and her retrograde policies of shooting wolves from helicopters and denying protections to imperiled polar bears.
With 81% of precincts reporting, Democratic challenger and animal protection leader Gary Peters has a commanding lead over Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg, by 51% to 43%. Knollenberg has one of the worst records on animal cruelty in the entire Congress, and was the Humane Society Legislative Fund's top target for defeat in the 2008 election.
