Coburn defeats fellow Southern Baptist; two Baptists lose in House

WASHINGTON (BP) - One Southern Baptist defeated another in a U.S. Senate race in Oklahoma, while two Southern Baptist members of the House of Representatives lost in voting Nov. 2.

Tom Coburn, a Republican who overcame his party's state establishment to win the GOP nomination, pulled away from Democrat Rep. Brad Carson in the race for Oklahoma's open Senate seat.

Coburn, a physician, is a member of Muskogee's New Community Church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Carson is a member of First Baptist Church in Claremore.

In the House, Rep. Max Sandlin, a Democrat and member of First Baptist Church in Marshall, Texas, lost while seeking his fifth term from the First District of Texas. Republican Louis Gohmert defeated Sandlin, 61 to 38 percent.

In Georgia's 12th District, Rep. Max Burns, a member of Jackson Baptist Church in Sylvania, lost his first re-election bid. Democrat John Barrow defeated Burns, 52 to 48 percent.

Also, Rep. Nathan Deal, R., Ninth District, a member of First Baptist Gainesville, won his seventh term without opposition.