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November 8, 2002/Kislev 3 5763, Vol. 55, No. 11
Senate's Jewish minyan grows in number
SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - With Frank Lautenberg's triumphant return to the Capitol and Norm Coleman's victory in Minnesota, the Senate's Jewish minyan is safe for the next two years - and even a little more crowded.
In the House of Representatives, one new Jewish face emerged after the Nov. 5 national elections - Rahm Emanuel, the former Clinton adviser.
In an indication of the spectrum of Jewish political views, Emanuel will join Eric Cantor (R-Va.), a staunch conservative and the only Jewish Republican left in the House.
Overall, the Jewish presence in Congress stayed almost the same, with 11 senators and 26 representatives.
Four Jewish candidates were vying for seats in the Senate, 35 for seats in the House of Representatives and two for their states' governor's mansions, both of whom were successful.
In the race for the Senate, venerated Jewish lawmaker Lautenberg, a Democrat, beat his Republican opponent, Doug Forrester, in New Jersey. Lautenberg, a former chairman of the United Jewish Appeal who retired from the Senate in 2000, stepped into the race in October to replace the incumbent, Sen. Robert Torricelli, who quit following charges of ethics violations.
The one Jewish senator up for reelection - Carl Levin (D-Mich.) - easily defeated his Republican challenger, Andrew Raczkowski.
The fourth Jewish candidate for Senate, Idaho's Alan Blinken, lost to the Republican incumbent, Sen. Larry Craig.
As results from Minnesota were finalized, it became clear that the minyan would grow: Coleman defeated former vice president Walter Mondale, who entered the race following the sudden death of Sen. Paul Wellstone on Oct. 25.
The Jewish incumbents in the Senate are Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Rep. John Sununu beat Gov. Jeanne Shaheen for the Senate seat in New Hampshire. Sununu, who is of Palestinian and Lebanese background, has come under fire for supporting U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority. He also has voted for aid to Israel, however, and has returned campaign contributions from Arab donors who backed Hamas.
In the House, Jews are losing a longtime friend on Capitol Hill with the retirement of Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.).
With Gilman's departure, Cantor, who won reelection, becomes the lone Jewish Republican in the House.
All Jewish incumbents up for reelection in the House retained their seats.
In California's 27th District, Democratic incumbent Brad Sherman easily won the only "Jew vs. Jew" race in the House, beating Republican challenger Robert Levy.
The seven other California Jews in the House, all Democrats, cruised to comfortable victories despite running in redrawn districts.
In the San Francisco area, Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor serving in Congress and a strong pro-Israel voice, easily defeated two opponents with pronounced pro-Palestinian views, Republican Michael Moloney and Libertarian Maad Abu-Ghazalah.
In the Los Angeles area and Southern California, incumbents Howard Berman, Susan Davis, Bob Filner, Jane Harman, Adam Schiff and Henry Waxman all retained their seats.
There are two new Jewish governors: Democrat Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania and Republican Linda Lingle of Hawaii.
In Alabama's gubernatorial race, Democratic incumbent Don Siegelman claimed a narrow victory over Rep. Bob Riley for a second term.
Siegelman is Catholic but his wife, Lori, is the first Jewish first lady in Alabama's history.
Tom Tugend in Los Angeles and Larry Brook of the Deep South Jewish Voice contributed to this article.
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