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The panel of judges included radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, actress Vivica Fox, musician Dave Koz, Miss America 2002 Katie Harman, gymnast Shawn Johnson and former "American Idol" finalist Brooke White. Comedian Paul Rodriguez was set to be a judge, but organizers said he pulled out because of a family emergency. Each judge ranked their five favorites in order, and their ballots were used to pick Cameron as the winner. She was crowned by Miss America 2009 Katie Stam of Seymour, Ind. Cameron won her state's title on her fourth try, and said she saw pageantry as a way to raise money and awareness for her platform issue, AIDS awareness. She said the issue is personal for her because her uncle died of AIDS and her family fostered a young girl who lived with the disdease. She was recognized by Congress in 2007 for her work to bring instant-result HIV testing to her home state. During the Miss Virginia pageant last year, Cameron was asked her opinion about gay marriage, the same issue Miss California Carrie Prejean was asked about during the Miss USA pageant two months earlier. Cameron said she believed marriage should be between a man and woman because of her religious beliefs, but she didn't think there should be laws against gay marriage. When the judges' decision in that pageant came, Cameron said she experienced a quiet moment onstage. "'Thy will be done,' That's what I kept saying," she said. "Thy will be done." The crowning of a Miss America began in 1921 as a publicity stunt to persuade tourists on Atlantic City's Boardwalk to stick around after Labor Day. The bathing revue blossomed in the age of television into an American pop icon before fading in later years and losing it place on network TV in 2004. It moved to the Las Vegas Strip in 2006 in an attempt to reinvent itself and has found a home on cable television. ___ On the Net: Miss America: http://www.missamerica.org/ TLC Network: http://www.tlc.com/
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