Well, the atheists finally have their guy, they've been waiting for an officeholder to come forward and admit that he doesn't believe in God and now someone has done it:
A U.S. Congressman has caused a stir by becoming the first member of the legislative body to declare himself not to believe in God.I think this guy is probably safe for re-election.
The announcement by Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) was celebrated by atheist and humanist groups Tuesday, while one Christian group described his proclamation as "unfortunate."
Stark, a member of Congress since 1973 and a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, made the unprecedented disclosure in response to an inquiry by the Secular Coalition of America (SCA). Stark acknowledged that he was a Unitarian - a creedless system that does not require belief in a deity.
The SCA held a contest offering $1,000 to the person able to identify the nontheist holding the highest public office in the country. Four elected officials were willing to announce their status, but as a member of Congress, Stark trumped the other three - a school board president, a school committee member, and a town meeting member.
[...]
Brown said that the SCA applauds Stark's decision especially since it could hurt his chances at re-election, an outcome she said was "very sad ... but it's also the political reality in our nation."
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Stark won his 2006 reelection against Republican George Bruno by a 48 percent margin, winning 83,909 of the 113,102 votes cast.
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