Though I've been a registered voter in Maryland since moving here for graduate school in 2004, I've always been an Arizonan at heart. I lived in the state for 23 years and always felt most at home in the ponderosa pine forests of Coconino County (hence my moniker, Pine).
Tonight, I'm proud to be an Arizonan because of imminent progressive victories in two very significant races: AZ Congressional District 5, and Proposition 107, the "Protect Marriage Now" initiative. If the current results hold, Arizona is poised to become the first state ever to reject a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
The improbable defeat of Proposition 107 is not yet a sure thing. As indicated on the Arizona Secretary of State's website,
http://www.azsos.gov/... 80% of precincts have reported and the initiative trails by about 25,000 votes. Many of the unreported votes are from rural areas, so it's not yet over. But the initiative was soundly defeated in my hometown of Coconino County (Flagstaff), Pima County (Tucson), and narrowly defeated in Republican Maricopa County (Phoenix). This is a good sign.
In Arizona-5, I'm excited to see that Harry Mitchell defeated entrenched Republican incumbent JD Hayworth, dubbed "Foghorn Leghorn" by his disapproving Republican colleauges. As I've said a million-and-one times before, Mitchell ran a brilliant campaign. Congratulations, Harry!