Antigay Watch List: Why Do Voters Love Our Villains?

When it comes to this list of homophobic candidates, voters passed on electing a few of the most wacky. But the familiar faces of many villains return.

BY Advocate.com Editors

November 08 2012 6:00 AM ET

Steve King, U.S. House of Representatives, Iowa, 4th District
RESULTS: Reelected

Ultraconservative and antigay Iowa congressman Steve King has been elected to a sixth term in the U.S. House, beating back a tough challenge from Christie Vilsack, the wife of former Iowa governor and current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. King faced a difficult reelection campaign after redistricting, but emerged the winner nonetheless.

King is one of the National Organization for Marriage's closest allies. He said he feared his state would become a “gay marriage mecca” after a 2009 state Supreme Court decision struck down barriers to legal marriage by same-sex couples. And yes, that's him with Missouri senate candidate Todd Akin, who he worked with in Congress to try and ban same-sex marriages on all military bases. More on Akin later. (Read More About The Race)