Right-wing meltdown: Religious Right church politicking scheme fails, as many of the movement's allies go down to defeat in the election.

As he surveyed the wreckage of the 2006 midterm election, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins struggled to put a good face on what had by all accounts been a disastrous night for the Religious Right.

Several Religious Right allies ill the Senate and House lost their seats or failed to will open ones and oust incumbents. The House of Representatives and Senate ended up ill the hands of Democrats--the latter by one vote and the former by a comfortable margin.

Remarkably, Perkins decided the reason Republicans fared poorly is that they failed to kowtow enough to the Religious Right.

"With the House in their grasp and the Senate just recounts from it, America has spoken," Perkins told supporters in a Nov. 8 e-mail. "But at a closer glance, this 'new direction' isn't new at all. Democrats won mainly because they seized on a platform largely forsaken by the GOP--social values. When 'integrity voters' saw that Republicans had abandoned their principles, they ultimately abandoned the GOP."

It was a refrain echoed by James Dobson and a plethora of other Religious Right leaders in the days that followed: If only the GOP had been more ideologically beholden to the Religious Right, its candidates would have won.

Even in a Washington accustomed to outrageous attempts at political spin, the analysis was hard to swallow. Aside from seven states approving bans on same-sex marriage and Republicans keeping seats in sate districts, not much went right for Perkins and his allies on Nov. 7.

And so much went wrong. The tone of the evening was set early when U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), the number three man in the Senate and a great champion of Religious Right causes, was soundly beaten by Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robert E Casey. Religious Right-backed candidates in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and other states were soon to follow.

For the Religious Right, it was a disappointing conclusion to a year that began with high hopes. In Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, new statewide Religious Right groups were formed ostensibly to work on issue advocacy--but that in reality promoted Republican candidates. (One of these groups, the Pennsylvania Pastors Network, was the subject of a Church & State story in April. See "Rick Santorum's Amen Comer.")

Dobson's Focus on the Family (FOF) had ambitious goals, too. In August, FOF announced a plan to mobilize fundamentalist congregations in eight battleground states. In an e-mail to supporters, FOF said the group's state affiliates would lead the project and asked for volunteers to serve its county coordinators and church coordinators. Pastors were asked to give political sermons, and churches were encouraged to hand out voter guides.

Activity intensified as the election approached. FOF state affiliates blitzed churches with biased, pro-Republican voter guides, and pastors were exhorted to go political. Dobson penned a four-page letter practically begging evangelicals to mark their ballots for the Republicans.

Dobson repeatedly stressed what was at stake. Speaking at a September "Values Voter Summit" cosponsored by the action arms of FRC and FOF in Washington, Dobson warned darkly that a Democratic takeover of Congress would be "terrible." The event had all the trappings of a party rally, featuring a parade of GOP leaders.

In the end, it was all for naught. An Associated Press exit poll showed that almost a third of white evangelicals voted Democratic--a significant increase over 2004. Exit polls also showed that "culture war" issues were far down on voters' lists of priorities, swamped by the war in Iraq, terrorism and political corruption.

A round-up of select races follows:

U.S. Senate

* Florida: U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R), who based much of her candidacy on appeals to the Religious Right, lost badly to incumbent Bill Nelson, 60 percent to 38 percent.

* Maryland: Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele, an opponent of legal abortion and stem-cell research, was defeated by U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, 54 percent to 44 percent.

* Minnesota: Democrat Amy Klobuchar handily defeated U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, 58 percent to 38 percent for an open seat. Kennedy was considered a rising star among social conservatives.

* Missouri: U.S. Sen. James Talent (R), a close ally of the Religious Right, was defeated by State Auditor Claire McKaskill 49 to 47 percent. Talent used to tell the story of how he became "born again" after hearing Dobson on the radio while driving in his car. (Talent said he pulled over and started praying.)

* New Jersey: Incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez fended off a challenge by Thomas Kean Jr., 53 percent to 45 percent. Although Kean is a moderate, Religious Right groups considered the race important since its outcome would help determine which party controls the Senate.

* Pennsylvania: U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum lost to Democrat Robert Casey 59 percent to 41 percent, despite efforts by a group called the Pennsylvania Pastors Network to mobilize on behalf of Santorum.

* Tennessee: In one bright spot for the Religious Right, moderate Democrat Harold Ford was defeated by Republican Bob Corker for an open seat. The race was close, but Corker came out on top 51 percent to 48 percent. U.S. House of Representatives

* Indiana: U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, a frequent speaker at Religious Right gatherings and sponsor of a bill designed to make it harder for people to bring church-state cases into federal courts, was trounced by Democrat Brad Ellsworth, 61 percent to 39 percent.

* Kansas: Republican Jim Ryun, who swept into office during the wave of social conservatives in 1994, lost to Democrat Nancy Boyda 51 percent to 47 percent.

* Kentucky: Anne Northup, a Republican who successfully used the promise of public grants through the "faith-based" initiative to woo religious voters in 2002 and 2004, lost to Democrat John Yarmuth, 51 percent to 48 percent. Gubernatorial Races

* Arkansas: Democrat Mike Bebee, state attorney general, defeated Asa Hutchinson, who had been backed by a conservative church in Hot Springs, 55 percent to 41 percent.

* Michigan: Dick DeVos, Republican candidate for governor, was easily defeated by incumbent Jennifer Granholm, 56 percent to 42 percent. DeVos helped found the Council for National Policy, a secretive Religious Right umbrella group, and has heavily funded the Family Research Council.

* Ohio: Efforts to build a church-based machine to help Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell (R) floundered. Blackwell was handily defeated by U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, 60 percent to 37 percent.

* Oklahoma: U.S. Rep. Ernest "Jim" Istook (R), sponsor of a constitutional amendment designed to weaken the separation of church and state, lost his bid for governor to incumbent Brad Henry. The race was not even close, with Henry at 66 percent and Istook 34. Other State Races

* Kansas: Controversial Attorney General Phill Kline, who attempted to build a church-based political machine and vowed to imprison doctors who provide abortions, lost his reelection bid to Democrat Paul Morrison, 58 percent to 42 percent. Kline had appeared at the Family Research Council's "Values Voter Summit" in September, where he promised to press a Religious Right agenda if returned to office.

* Ohio: A slate of candidates who favor teaching evolution in public schools won election to the Ohio Board of Education, after being endorsed by a pro-science group. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer put it, "Ohio's scientists laid down their test tubes and flexed some political muscle Tuesday as four pro-evolution candidates they backed were on their way to capturing or retaining seats on the state Board of Education." Ballot Referenda

State constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage passed in Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Colorado. A ban in Arizona failed.

South Dakota voters rejected a ban on nearly all abortions, 56 percent to 44 percent. Religious Right activists had hoped the law could become a nationwide model. In Missouri, a ballot initiative to approve tax funding of stem-cell research overcame stiff Religious Right opposition and won 51 percent to 49 percent.

In Boise, Idaho, voters refused to approve a measure calling for the return of a Ten Commandments monument in a public park. The monument was moved to a church lawn in 2004 to avoid litigation, but a group called the Keep the Commandments Coalition sought to have it returned to government property. City voters nixed the idea, 53 percent to 47 percent.

As the dust settles and the 110th Congress prepares to be seated next month, AU Executive Director Barry Lynn urged Americans United members to remain vigilant. The Religious Right, Lynn said, remains committed to undermining the church-state wall and will not let up simply because of a poor showing on election night.

Many Religious Right leaders are already vowing to press on. The day after the election, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, one of the nation's oldest Religious Right groups, issued a statement designed to buck up the troops.

"We must remain vigilant after Election Day, holding representatives to their campaign promises and urging them to pass pro-family legislation and support solid judicial nominees," she said. "The days ahead will be difficult, but that means we must be even more engaged."

Lynn said AU will also remain active. The organization, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, has experienced Democratic and Republican administrations over its long tenure and understands that defense of the church-state wall is an ongoing task that does not hinge on the outcome of any one election.

"Despite unprecedented efforts to mobilize churches with questionable tactics, the Religious Right failed to elect many of its favorite candidates," Lynn said in a Nov. 8 press statement. "But I've followed this well-funded movement long enough to know that its leaders won't go away quietly. We can expect them to be angrier than ever in the upcoming months."

He added, "Americans United members should rest assured that we will be in the thick of the battle."