The Birther Queen, Jacko’s Rabbi, And More: Five Elections Overshadowed By Wisconsin

The national media is still obsessing over Governor Scott Walker’s victory in the Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election, but he wasn’t the only well-known politician on the ballot on Tuesday.

Here are five key races that got overshadowed by the Wisconsin recall:

Jacko’s Rabbi Continues Congressional Crusade

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who served as Michael Jackson’s “spiritual adviser” and has published a line of Judaic sex books such as “The Kosher Sutra,” easily won the Republican primary in New Jersey’s 9th Congressional district.

Bill Pascrell Pulls An Upset

Boteach will face off against Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell, won a surprising victory over Rep. Steve Rothman. The two Congressmen were forced to fight a nasty primary battle after redistricting placed them in the same district.

Birther Queen Falls Short

Orly Taitz — whose obsession over disproving President Barack Obama’s citizenship is matched only by Donald Trump — failed to finish in the top two in California’s Senate primary, meaning that she will not face Senator Dianne Feinstein in November. Early polls suggested that Taitz actually had a chance.

Close, But No Cigar For Tobacco Tax

California voters also rejected Proposition 29, which would have added a $1 tax to a pack of cigarettes. The measure was defeated by barely a percentage point, due in large part to the tobacco industry’s $47 million ad campaign opposing it.

Senate Battle Set In New Mexico

Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich and Republican former Rep. Heather Wilson won their respective Senate primaries in New Mexico, setting up an election that could swing control of the Senate. Early polls show Heinrich with a narrow lead.

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Sucking Up: House Republicans Want To Give Trump A Gold Medal

Rep. Matt Gaetz outside the New York Supreme Court for Trump trial on May 15, 2024

Donald Trump

The first Congressional Gold Medal was struck in 1776 as a way of saying thanks to George Washington. Since then, the medal has been awarded just 184 times to hallowed figures including Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama. Compared to the 647 civilian Presidential Medals of Freedom or the 3,517 military Medals of Honor, the Congressional Gold Medal is the rarest of the great honors awarded in America.

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Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani's efforts to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election results have resulted in both civil lawsuits and two criminal indictments for the former New York City mayor. Giuliani is among Trump's co-defendants in Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case, and in late April, he was indicted by a grand jury in a separate election interference case being prosecuted by State Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, in Arizona.

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