Filling in for Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night, Ezra Klein updated viewers on the results in elections held in Arizona, North Dakota, and Virginia.
In Arizona‘s 8th district, Democrat Ron Barber looks like he could defeat defeated Republican candidate Jesse Kelly. The winner will fill out the term of Rep. Gabby Giffords. Barber is a longtime Giffords aide.
North Dakotans voted on four ballot initiatives, including one to eliminate the property tax, and another to force the University of North Dakota to keep the fighting Sioux nickname and logo. After The Rachel Maddow Show aired, the Associated Press reported that the Fighting Sioux would not be keeping their name.
Another North Datoka ballot initiative would add a clause to the state constitution saying that “Government may not burden a person’s or religious organization’s religious liberty. . . . unless the government proves it has a compelling governmental interest in doing so.”
As Ezra explained, opponents say that language is too vague, and could, for instance, allow a pharmacist to deny citizens access to birth control prescription, or allow an employer to fire an employee for being gay. Additionally, former Republican Governor George Allen won the Virginia senate primary with 65 percent of the vote. Allen will face off against fellow former Governor Tim Kaine this November in the race to fill the seat of retiring Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post called the Arizona 8th district race for Ron Barber early, and also reported that the Fighting Sioux would be keeping their name. At 12:40 a.m., the Associated Press reports that Ron Barber has won the special House election. North Dakota voters decided Tuesday to let the state’s flagship university dump the controversial Fighting Sioux nickname.
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