Standing count

NATIONAL REPORT — It was nearly a landslide victory for veterinarians.

Eighty-three percent of DVMs vying for office were elected in sometimes hard-fought, controversial campaigns.

Of the 24 veterinarians running, 20 will represent constituencies at the national and state level. One Montana House of Representatives race between veterinarian Republican Krayton Kerns and incumbent Emelie Eaton was deadlocked and thrown into a December recount.

With about a 3-to-1 ratio of veterinarian Republicans to Democrats, Nov. 7 defied the odds as party majorities were overturned in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on anti-war sentiments and a jittery economy. How did that happen?

Election 2006: The count

"Considering the number of veterinarians in the U.S., and the fact that they're training and expertise is so different than that of a legislator, makes this gain remarkable," says Adrian Hochstadt, JD, CAE, director state and legislative regulatory affairs for the American Veterinary Medical Association.

"I think it's a wonderful development. The more veterinarians serving in public policy of any type, the more impact they make," Hochstadt says. "They're generally looked at as the defacto experts when they walk into a legislature on health issues."