When Al Gore took the stage in Detroit last week, it probably wasn’t much of a surprise that he would endorse Barack Obama for president. But it did surprise some people that he mentioned dogs and cats in his remarks, and that he commented on the importance of elections—even to animals.

When candidates are stumping on the campaign trail, it’s not uncommon for them to show up at a county fair, a parade, or any other event where people are gathered. They often make the rounds to meet with interest groups, whether it’s the realtors or the Teamsters, a women’s group or a gun club. You might run into a candidate at the YMCA, at your place of worship, or at the local feed store.

Last night was another exciting moment in the election season, and not just for the historic presidential race. There were several other federal and state races of interest to the Humane Society Legislative Fund and animal advocates around the country, and I’d like to provide a wrap-up of the returns.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama split primary wins in Kentucky and Oregon last night, but their contest was not the only one with national implications. Democratic voters in those two states also chose their party’s candidates for U.S. Senate, setting the stage for competitive races against Republican incumbents this November.

I’ve written before about the presidential candidates trotting out their hunting bona fides to strut their stuff in rural primary states.

Senator Hillary Clinton won Ohio and Texas last night, guaranteeing that the Democratic contest between her and Senator Barack Obama will remain unsettled for some time, at least until the Pennsylvania primary on April 22.  But two other outcomes from last night have settled issues of great importance to animal advocates.

A new book scheduled for release this summer—“A Rare Breed of Love” by my good friend Jana Kohl—will change the face of the puppy mill debate in this country.  It’s the touching story of Baby, a poodle who survived a grueling decade in a northern California puppy mill factory, trapped in a tiny cage, churning out litter after litter for commercial sale.

Gail Collins had her trenchant wit on full display in a weekend op-ed column, “A Bad Year to Be a Mallard,” in the New York Times.

In the wake of the nation’s largest beef recall in history, food safety and animal welfare have become part of presidential campaign season. I wrote yesterday that Senator Hillary Clinton issued a statement calling for better safeguards in our food inspection system.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a massive recall of 143 million pounds of beef—four times larger than what was previously the biggest beef recall in the nation’s history—after revelations that sick and injured cows were abused in horrifying ways and fed to the nation’s school children and other consumers.