Who says sports and politics don’t mix?
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Tuesday was a big day for both sports and politics -- and not only because the U.S. elected a president with a sweet jump shot.
While Barack Obama was winning the race for the White House, former NFL Coach Sam Wyche and former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler also scored victories at the polls. Wyche, a Republican, earned a seat on the Pickens County Council in South Carolina and Shuler, a Democrat, won re-election to Congress from North Carolina.
In Sacramento, former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, a conservative Democrat, beat two-time incumbent Heather Fargo to become the city’s first African-American mayor.
However, former heavyweight boxer Joe Mesi, a Democrat who was never beaten in the ring, appeared headed for defeat in a close race for a New York state senate seat in suburban Buffalo.
In Hawaii, Michael Victorino, who last week saw son Shane win a World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies, was unopposed in his bid for a seat on the Maui County Council.
-- Kevin Baxter