Virginia - The new Governor of Virginia, Republican Jim Gilmore defeated his Democrat opponent Don Beyer by 56% to 43% in Tuesday's election. Gilmore, who supports legal abortion through the first three months of pregnancy but not thereafter, was attacked by Beyer in radio ads as being "against a woman's right to choose", giving the public the impression that Gilmore is pro-life. The ads proved to be a fatal mistake for Beyer because they, together with his attacks on Gilmore's reportedly close association with Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition, created the perception that Gilmore was a solid, pro-life, pro-family candidate. This allowed him to capitalize on the desire of the voters to elect people who are both cultural and fiscal conservatives, a combination that continues to be a winner for Republican candidates who are in touch with the people. Thankfully, the new Lt. Governor, Republican John Hagar, is said to be pro-life and, we are told that Republican Mark Earley, who was elected Attorney General by 57% to 43%, is a solid pro-lifer. We hope that Governor Gilmore will open his mind and heart to the reality that the unborn child, from the moment of conception, is a unique individual defenseless human being deserving of legal protection.

Oregon - The Oregon Catholic Conference, which spearheaded the nearly $4 million campaign to terminate the law allowing physician-assisted suicide, in a statement issued November 5, called election day "a tragic day for Oregon, the nation, and the world." "Oregon has become the first jurisdiction in the world to fully embrace the culture of death," the Conference said. "May God have mercy on us and on our nation." National Right to Life Committee director of media relations, Laura Echevarria, issued a statement saying, "This tragic vote means death rather than positive treatment for countless numbers of the most volnerable in our society." "Euthansia in Oregon will not remain ‘voluntary' for long. All it will take is for a court to rule that denying ‘assisted suicide' to people who have never asked to die, but are unable to speak for themselves, violates state constitutional ‘equal protection'provisions. This is exactly what courts have done in the past concerning denial of life-saving medical treatment."

NEW JERSEY -

"Ms. Whitman, once seen as a rising GOP star, was eclipsed Tuesday . . . ." (AP, 11/6/97); "Near-loss dims Whitman's star in Washington (Star Ledger, 11/6/97); "Whitman has had her wings clipped." "Whitman's 47 percent is a record low for a winning candidate." "On a national level, the shining star of the Republican moderates lost some of her luster." "A measure of respect may also have been lost on the national stage." (Bergen Record, 11/6/97); "She [Whitman] has gone out of her way to separate herself from much of her party. She would be a red flag for the social conservatives." (Political reporter, Stuart Rothenberg in the Bergen Record, 11/6/97); "Frankly, the Governor never had a chance of being on any national ticket that I can imagine. Northeast moderate Republicans like her are sort of a fossil, a kind of curiosity." (Russ Baker, political scientist at Rutgers University in the Star Ledger, 11/6/97).

Leaders of the Republican-controlled legislature said Thursday they will attempt to override Gov. Whitman's veto of a bill banning partial-birth abortions. "An override on the abortion bill would be a significant defeat for Whitman in the wake of her election victory Tuesday - a win that was so close, political analysts said it will diminish her authority in the Statehouse . . . ." (AP, 11/6/97 )