Election Night 2010 decided the fate of several conservative candidates whom CFIF followed this year.  It also witnessed a referendum on activist judges and a job-killing environmental policy.  After a year-long campaign, here are the results.   

Kris Kobach – Kobach (R-KS) won a resounding victory for Kansas Secretary of State with a mandate to eliminate voter fraud.  Earlier this year Kobach burst onto the national scene as one of the primary drafters of Arizona’s SB 1070; the tough anti-illegal immigration law that the Obama Administration is challenging.  Kobach is a Harvard, Oxford and Yale-educated attorney who specializes in constitutional law, and recently headed the Kansas GOP.  Look for him to make a move up the electoral ladder sooner rather than later. 

Charles Djou – One of Congress’ shortest-serving members, Djou (R-HI) won a special election for Hawaii’s first district in May after the Democratic vote was split between two candidates.  Djou had no such luck this time, as Democrats consolidated their support behind the president of the Hawaii Senate.  With Democrats newly entrenched in all statewide offices, Djou has time to burnish his professional credentials while he waits for another campaign opportunity. 

Morgan Philpot – A former Utah state lawmaker, Philpot (R-UT) drew attention when he asked fellow members whether a proposed law would take the state closer to the Constitution, or Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto.  In a tight race with a moderate Democrat incumbent, Philpot gained Tea Party and GOP endorsements, but no financial backing from the National Republican Campaign Committee.  Since Philpot’s opponent is the only Democrat in Utah’s congressional delegation, Philpot may mount another campaign in 2012, especially if he can convince donors to fund his cause. 

Charles Lollar – Lollar (R-MD) turned solid conservative principles and an energetic demeanor into a surprise second-place finish behind veteran liberal lawmaker Steny Hoyer (D-MD).  With Republicans now in control of the House of the Representatives, speculation is already beginning that Hoyer will challenge soon-to-be-former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for the Minority Leader position.  With a strong showing in Southern Maryland, Lollar could consider running for a state or local office to build up his electoral experience. 

Sean Bielat – Republicans aren’t supposed to win in Massachusetts; at least not until Scott Brown (R-MA) took the U.S. Senate seat vacated after Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) died.  Sean Bielat (R-MA), a former Marine and business executive, saw Brown’s victory as an indication that reliably liberal Bay State voters might be willing to oust Barney Frank (D-MA), the face of the housing market crash and the recent financial “reform” bill.  Bielat successfully nationalized his campaign, and cut deep into Frank’s reelection percentage.  In the end, however, Bielat lost by nine points.  His strong showing already has Boston pundits predicting future runs, though he (like State Senator Scott Brown before him) may have to lower his sights to get his foot in the officeholder door. 

Three Activist Iowa Supreme Court Justices Ousted – Judicial retention elections, or “merit” elections as they are sometimes called, give voters the option to keep a judge nominated and confirmed to a court, or vote them out of office.  Last night, Iowans voted overwhelmingly to remove three state Supreme Court justices who unilaterally decided to impose gay marriage through an activist interpretation of the state constitution.  Opponents of the decision built majority support around the principle that “We the People” decide what the law is, not “We the Courts.” 

California Misses a Golden Opportunity – By defeating Proposition 23 and its aim to suspend a job-killing emissions regulation scheme, California voters decided that green outshines gold.  Prop 23’s defeat will make it that much harder for the state’s economy to rebound, especially with regulation-prone Sacramento seeing Democratic increases in the legislature and the arrival of once-and-future governor Jerry Brown.  The only silver lining to yesterday’s outcome is the possibility that the eccentric Brown has the liberal standing – and political heft – to persuade public employee unions and the environmental left that the state needs a radical makeover, or else it’s doomed to insolvency. 

Don’t hold your breath.