Story Archives of 'Elections'

For the first time in United States history, women will make up the majority of members in a legislative chamber.

That legislative chamber is the New Hampshire Senate

State Senators acknowledged the historic achievement with pride and a bit of a shrug.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein reports.

Underneath the radar of this historic vote, where the nation chose its first black President, were half a dozen ballot measures banning either gay marriage or same-sex adoption. We’ll talk with a panel of gay and lesbian activists about the state of gay rights in America, look at how and why their side suffered setbacks despite a huge turnout among Democrats, and where their movement goes from here.

Guests

• Kerry Eleveld, news editor for The Advocate magazine
• Ed Butler, Democratic state representative from Hart's Location, New Hampshire gay rights advocate and owner of the Notchland Inn
• Marty Rouse, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign

Going into Election Night, Democrats held a 14-10 edge in the state Senate.

Today the Democrats still have a 14-10 majority.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein looks at what happened across the state’s 24 senate seats.

We start today with the big national drama everyone’s talking about - what’s next now that the U.S. has chosen its new leader? At last count, about 55.5 million voters supported John McCain’s bid for the White House, many of them groaning over the headlines this morning. Some are sad, some are miffed, and many hate the idea of an Obama administration. Some let their frustration be heard during McCain’s concession speech last night, with loud booing and jeering at Obama's name.

McCain supporters could spend the next four years blaming Democrats for the nation’s ills, and gloating by the winning team will only widen the nation’s ideological chasm. It's not a good situation for a country fighting an economic catastrophe and two foreign wars. So, how do we make peace, bridge the divide, and start getting down to business?

Drew Weston has some ideas. He’s director of clinical psychology at Emory University and author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. He joins the show with more on what the parties and the voters really have to do to move on.

(Photo by Katie)

Jeanne Shaheen tops GOP incumbent John Sununu by a 7-point margin. She becomes first NH woman to win election to US Senate, and first local Democrat to hold a Senate seat in 28 years.