A Valiant Effort

Tuesday, September 1 was special election day in California’s 10th Congressional District and while Democratic hopeful Anthony Woods garnered considerable national attention in his quest to fill the seat vacated by former Congresswoman and now Obama Administration appointee, Ellen Tauscher, voters had other ideas.

In a very crowded field of 14 candidates, Woods finished a very respectable fourth, with 8% of the vote. The Democratic winner, California Lt. Governor John Garamendi had 26 percent and will now face a general election challenge from Republican and minor party candidates November 3.

Despite the loss, Woods brought attention to an otherwise unnoteworthy election, because had he won, the Iraq War veteran and Harvard graduate would have been the nation’s first Black openly gay member of Congress. While he has not discussed the possibility of running for future office, he did promise supporters that he would continue to be a voice for the causes in which he believes.