The November elections brought positive results for psychologists seeking election to public office, boosting one to the ranks of the nation’s governors and returning all incumbents at the state and national level.

Ohio voters elected Ted Strickland, PhD, a clinical psychologist, as governor. Strickland, who has worked as a minister, professor and clinical psychologist during his career, served six terms in Congress before running for governor last year.

In other states, voters re-elected two members of the U.S. House of Representatives trained as psychologists:

• Rep. Brian Baird, PhD (D-Wash.).
• Rep. Tim Murphy, PhD (R-Penn.).

A third congressman, Rep. Tom Osborne, PhD, R-Neb., lost a primary race for governor last year after serving three terms in the House.

Psychologists re-elected to state office include:

• Rep. Ruth Balser, PhD, D-Massachusetts House of Representatives.
• Rep. Phil Barnhart, PhD, D-Oregon House of Representatives.
• Rep. Joyce Beatty, PhD, D-Ohio House of Representatives.
• Rep. William Butynski, PhD, D-New Hampshire House of Representatives.
• Rep. Elaine Makas, PhD, D-Maine House of Representatives.
• Sen. Dale Miller, PhD, D-Ohio Senate.
• Rep. James Powers, EdD, D-New Hampshire House of Representatives.
• Rep. John Sciback, PhD, D-Massachusetts House of Representatives.
• Rep. Walter Pawelkiewicz, PhD, D-Connecticut House of Representatives.
• Sen. Gloria Romero, PhD, D-California state Senate.

In other races, Assemblyman Leland Yee, PhD, D-California State Assembly, won his bid for a state Senate seat, Richard V. Wagner, PhD, won a race as the Democratic candidate for an open seat in the Maine House of Representatives, and Assemblywoman Judy Chu, PhD, D-California State Assembly, was elected to the state Board of Equalization.

The Monitor will publish a profile of Strickland in his new governor role later this year.

In the event that any elected psychologists were omitted from this list, e-mail their names.

—C. Munsey