A woman who worked in religious-right ‘ex-gay’ ministries for years renounces the movement. She’s only the latest.

Columbia University expert Donald Green argues that hate crimes tend to spike when rapid in-migration of minority groups occurs in formerly white neighborhoods. Perhaps that helps explain the sheer ugliness of the events in Murrieta, Calif., this July — events that came during the week of Independence Day, when Americans gather to celebrate our country and its democratic values.

Among the thousands of candidates for political office who are brought out by every election cycle, there are almost always a number from the ideological fringe. This year, a mid-term election that could give control of the Senate (and therefore, both houses of Congress) to the Republican Party, is no exception. Here’s a brief roundup of a few: