WASHINGTON (ABP) — The 2010 midterm congressional elections were a clear victory for those who claim fealty to fiscal conservatism, but they were more a mixed blessing for religious and social conservatives. Religious conservatives, however, may still use the results to highlight their issues over the next two years in Congress.
Republicans took about 60 seats from Democrats Nov. 2 to reclaim the majority in the House of Representatives. They picked up significant-but-short-of-a-majority gains in the Senate. Both gains were attributed largely to the influence of the Tea Party movement with its anti-government, anti-tax and anti-spending message.
Few voters cited social issues like abortion rights and gay rights as major motivating factors, however, and several of the most outspoken social conservative candidates carrying the Tea Party Banner lost their elections — some overwhelmingly.
Social-conservative congressional victories
In congressional contests, several outspoken social conservatives won. Arkansas Sen.-elect John Boozman (R) defeated conservative Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln. Missouri Sen.-elect (and former House Minority Whip) Roy Blunt (R) bested Missouri Secretary of State (and fellow Baptist) Robin Carnahan (D).
Several pro-life Democrats who were targeted by social conservatives because they voted for a health-care-reform bill that some opponents claimed would fund abortions lost or looked on their way to defeat.
“Tonight's election results points to the significant impact of the natural alliance between the Tea Party, social conservatives, and other Americans disillusioned by Washington's politics as usual,” Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council, said in a press release. “This alliance is not based just upon issues, although there are some shared policy concerns. The synergy is found in the common interest they have in replacing those elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, who have ignored the limits of the Constitution and have forgotten the founding principles of our nation.”
State-level wins
Social conservatives experienced significant wins in several states. In California, voters rejected Proposition 19 by a 56-to-44-percent margin. The ballot initiative would have legalized and regulated the recreational use of marijuana. Medical marijuana is already legal in the Golden State.
In Oklahoma, a constitutional amendment to prevent judges in the state from relying on Islamic law also passed. The amendment says Oklahoma judges should rely on federal and state law when deciding cases, forbids them “from considering or using international law” and bans them “from considering or using Sharia Law.” It defines Sharia as legal codes “based on two principal sources, the Koran and the teaching of Mohammed.”
Many legal experts derided the amendment as unnecessary and said it will invite costly lawsuits against the state because it targets a single religion, in possible contravention of the federal Constitution.
“Many of us who understand the law are scratching our heads this morning, laughing so we don't cry,” University of Oklahoma Law School professor Rick Tepker told CNN. “I would like to see Oklahoma politicians explain if this means that the courts can no longer consider the Ten Commandments. Isn't that a precept of another culture and another nation? The result of this is that judges aren't going to know when and how they can look at sources of American law that were international law in origin.”
Social conservatives picked up a big win in the Hawkeye State, where national groups opposed to gay rights spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to oust three justices of the Iowa Supreme Court because they were among the members of the court who unanimously decided last year to legalize same-sex marriage. Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and associate justices David Baker and Michael Streit all lost their bids to gain new eight-year terms on the high court. They were the only members of the court up for retention elections this year. Each lost by a margin of about 55 to 45 percent.
“Activist judges everywhere have been put on notice," said Gary Bauer, whose Campaign for Working Families joined the National Organization for Marriage in targeting the justices. “Judges do not have the right to legislate from the bench. Nor are they the supreme authority of the land. The voters of Iowa made that clear last night.”
Congressional and state setbacks
Social conservatives were handed several losses in Congress and on the state level as well. Four Tea Party-endorsed Senate candidates who prominently featured their Christian faith and social conservative beliefs appeared to have lost as of mid-afternoon Nov. 3. In Delaware, Catholic activist and GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell lost by a wide margin to Democrat Chris Coons. In Colorado, incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D) appeared to have beaten Republican challenger Ken Buck by a few thousand votes. Both O’Donnell and Buck made national headlines in the final weeks of the campaign with comments criticizing church-state separation as a principle not found in the Constitution.
Nevada GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle — who made similar comments criticizing church-state separation — also lost one of the evening’s most-watched Senate contests, her bid to defeat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
In Alaska, Sarah Palin-endorsed Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller — an outspoken opponent of abortion – appeared to have lost to incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who launched a write-in campaign after Miller and Tea Party activists defeated her in the GOP primary.
Social conservatives also failed, for the second election cycle in a row, to attach a “personhood’ amendment to Colorado’s Constitution. Like a similar proposal that failed in 2008, it would have defined life as beginning at conception and given unborn fetuses full rights under state law.
The vast majority of voters cited economic issues as the most important factors influencing their vote in exit polls. Only a handful cited issues like abortion rights, same-sex marriage and religion in the public square as important.
Wielding new influence
Although voters seemed little concerned with social issues, many interest groups in the conservative coalition are likely to find receptive ears for their pet issues among members of the 112th Congress.
“Voters sent a strong message that they want Congress to focus on fixing the economy, but the election results may inflict collateral damage on the Constitution,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “I think the Religious Right will seize this opportunity to advance its agenda in Congress.”
He noted that likely House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have long records of working with the Religious Right on a wide variety of social issues.
“Americans did not vote to stoke the fires of the culture war,” said Lynn, “but they may have done so inadvertently.”
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Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Sidebar: Consultants, columnists cite faith factor in Republican sweep