Louisiana: Edwards, Vitter in runoff. State Rep. John Bel Edwards, the only Democrat in Saturday’s primary, came in first with 40%, followed by US Sen. David Vitter (R), with 23%. The two will meet in a December 6 runoff ……. Oklahoma: Coburn criticizes “Cruz effect”. Contending that the 16-day government shutdown that US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) promoted in 2013 to defund Obamacare accomplished nothing, former US Sen. Tom Coburn (R) said in a radio interview that Cruz’s stance “gave [people] false hope knowing that you couldn’t accomplish it. But it was about yelling and screaming and waving the flag,” resulting in “less confidence in the Congress and its ability to do its job.” ……. Tennessee: Haslam questions religious teaching bill. Gov. Bill Haslam (R) raised questions about a bill, introduced by state Rep. Sheila Butt (R), that would ban teaching about “religious doctrine” before the 10th Grade. Haslam said it could interfere with education, for example, by prohibiting teaching about the religious freedom motive that brought many pilgrims to America …….
