Election Day: Royals legend Frank White earns political victory
Sports and politics again merged Tuesday when voters nationwide went to the polls on Election Day.
The most notable intersection took place in Kansas City, Mo., where former Royals second baseman Frank White easily won a seat on the Jackson County Legislature. White, who ran as a Democrat, defeated his Republican opponent by a better than 2-to-1 margin. He is making his first entry into politics at age 64.
In Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, brother of Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, was elected governor. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, is a former executive at TD Ameritrade, an online brokerage founded by his father. He will replace Republican Dave Heineman, who served nine years as governor but is being forced out by term limits.
MORE: NFL players who ran for political office
In the campaign, Ricketts said his priority as governor would be to cut taxes. He also argued that benefits should not be given to immigrants in the country illegally and supported career and vocational training to expand manufacturing jobs.
Other contests with sports connections:
— Former NFL linebacker Garry Cobb lost his U.S. House race in New Jersey to Democratic State Sen. Donald Norcross. Cobb, a Republican, was running in a special election to serve the remainder of longtime Rep. Rob Andrews’ term. Andrews, a Democrat, resigned earlier this year.
Norcross is the brother of New Jersey’s most politically powerful non-elected Democrat, George Norcross. Donald Norcross has downplayed the role of his brother in his campaign and political ambitions.
— Colorado voters rejected a proposal to allow casino gambling at Arapahoe Park, a horse racetrack in suburban Denver. The ballot measure was the most expensive in the nation outside California, with opponents and supporters spending more than $33 million combined.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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