A commenter at Blogcritics reminded me of another interesting outcome of the recent election. A senator who is a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints will likely succeed to a powerful position. Not all that unusual, you're thinking. But, it is. The senator is a Democrat. Mormon and Republican fit together like a hand and glove to followers of electoral politics. Blogger Gordon Smith at Times and Seasons considers the irony.
One of the so-far-untold stories of the election is that Mormon Senator Harry Reid will almost certainly assume leadership of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senator Tom Daschle appears to be going down in South Dakota, thus providing an opening for Reid. Of course, the Democrats are a minority in the Senate , but they are far from irrelevant. I assume this makes Reid the most powerful Mormon politician in the United States. (Will he be the most powerful Mormon politician ever?) Ironic, in light of the recent dominance of the Republican Party among Mormons, that our most powerful politician is a Democrat.
Reid (pictured), the former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, is one of five Mormons in the Senate. He won reelection handily, with 61 percent of the vote. He announced his candidacy for the leadership vacancy Nov. 3. CNN reports.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) — In the wake of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's election defeat Tuesday, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said Wednesday that he has enough support among his colleagues to become the next Democratic leader.
"I have more than 30 votes," said Reid, the Senate's minority whip, at a news conference in Las Vegas, just hours after Daschle conceded his race in South Dakota.
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Article comments
1 - RJ
"Reid is one of a small group of Republicans"
[sic]
2 - Mac Diva
Use your imagination. Envision the word 'senators.'
3 - RJ
Heh...fair enough...
4 - Chani
I'm a Mormon - and a Democrat. There's actually many of us. I think we can all understand that the Republicans pretend to share our values to gain votes and then all they do is help the very rich.