While the choice on November 2 between George W. Bush and John F. Kerry is a vital one, on many ballots, it’s not the only race that will make an important difference in the future of the Adult industry.
"This is a pivotal election that will determine not the future of this industry, but whether or not there will be a future to the industry,” warned Joe Hall, a political activist with the Deja Vu Showgirls night club chain.
In the Senate, Republicans hold a 51-to-48 majority, with one independent. Nationwide, at least eight races could go either way and incumbents in both parties are threatened in a few others, putting enough seats in that chamber in doubt that the balance of power could shift toward the liberal side.
Those races are crucial to the Adult industry, because in the event of a Republican victory in the presidential race, liberal senators will be needed to keep arch-conservative judicial nominees like Manuel Estrada and William Pryor off the federal district and appeals court benches. Estrada’s nomination was blocked for nearly two years by a threatened Democratic filibuster until he finally withdrew his name from consideration; but Pryor was installed on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals bench through a “recess appointment” by President Bush.
Pryor’s appointment took place over the 2004 Presidents Day congressional holiday, and is being challenged in court by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.) The President is permitted under the Constitution to simply appoint people to federal judgeships, and to some other offices, while Congress is in recess — but such appointments have previously been done only while Congress was in winter recess, and never over a short holiday like Presidents Day.
Some legal experts have expressed the opinion that Pryor may have used his presence on the Eleventh Circuit bench to adversely influence the Sherri Williams sex-toy case, in which he was the primary defendant when he was attorney general of Alabama.
Democrats are very likely to win the senatorial race in Illinois. Relative newcomer Barack Obama is almost a sure victor over arch-conservative and former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, whom Republican officials lured into the race from Maryland when incumbent Jack Ryan dropped out over charges by his ex-wife that he wanted her to engage in group sex at strip clubs.
Republicans are counting on the fact that President Bush is an incumbent, and that conservative ballot measures in some states, such as bans on gay marriage, may drive more conservatives to the polls to support the entire Republican roster. Moreover, recent highly partisan redistricting in Texas, a challenge to which was rejected by the Supreme Court, will undoubtedly aid Republican congressional candidates this year, likely securing a Senate seat for the Republican candidate when that office is next up for election. That candidate could well be Texas Rep. Tom DeLay, a high-profile politician currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for election law infractions.
Democrats, however, see the possibility of winning in several swing states. In Colorado, the race is between Democrat Ken Salazar, who has twice served as state attorney general, and beer magnate and anti-abortion activist Peter H. Coors. Republican incumbent Ben Nighthorse Campbell has decided not to run again.
In Alaska, there is reportedly some resentment at “incumbent” Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who was recently appointed to the seat by her father, Gov. Frank H. Murkowski, himself a former senator. Her opponent is former Gov. Tony Knowles, whose opposition to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has figured heavily in Murkowski’s ads. However, Alaska has historically favored Republicans, so Knowles faces an uphill battle.
In Florida, Democrat Betty Castro is up against a new arrival, Mel Martinez, former head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Bush.
“Martinez was quoted numerous times in his campaign... as stating that ‘Our nation was founded on moral values and our deep respect for God,’” Déjà vu’s Joe Hall said, “and has indicated that he will cast his votes based on his belief in that statement, particularly when it comes to voting on judicial nominations.”
Other possibly problematic races include Louisiana, which will hold an open primary on Nov. 2, since incumbent John Brough has decided not to run; North Carolina, whose current senator is now the vice-presidential candidate; South Carolina, where Democrat Fritz Hollings is retiring and education superintendent Inez Tennenbaum will face Rep. Jim DeMint: Oklahoma, where the Republican candidate Tom Coburn, a physician, has been caught up in a controversy over an old malpractice case; and the hard-fought South Dakota race, where the Republicans have been fighting (and spending) exceptionally hard to have former congressman John Thune unseat Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle.
