Supporters react during an election night event for Democratic Governor Tony Evers at the Orpheum Theater on November 8 in Madison, Wisc. Evers defeated Republican challenger Tim Michels on Tuesday.
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Supporters react during an election night event for Democratic Governor Tony Evers at the Orpheum Theater on November 8 in Madison, Wisc. Evers defeated Republican challenger Tim Michels on Tuesday.
Image of Jim Vondruska / Getty
Who leads your state government shapes everyday life in the United States. These governors and legislatures set policy on guns, abortion, education, and the environment.
Combined with the deadlock at the federal level, “where you live increasingly determines what policies you live by,” said Thad Kousser, professor of political science at UC San Diego.
By midterms in 2022, Democratic candidates have exceeded expectations in state leadership races, winning gubernatorial contests and toppling state legislatures. But the Republicans went to victory in their stronghold.
This is how midterm elections shake up state leadership.
Democrats choose at least 2 more governor’s offices
In close races, Democratic governors are often the defenders. Biden’s low approval rating and inflation catastrophe stoked fears of a “red wave”.
But many Democrats in tighter contests won: Governor Janet Mills in Maine, Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico.
In Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers also won a second term. He will continue to work with the Republican-led state legislature. Governor Laura Kelly holds the governor’s office in Kansas, the state where former President Donald Trump win twice.
The party also consolidated its control in two states where Democrats are significantly outnumbered Republicans: Maryland and Massachusetts. In both, the Democratic candidate won an open governorship that a Republican had vacated. Democrats currently control the state government in both states. (When a single party controls the state, the state senate, and the governor’s office, it is called a “triad.”) items with trifecta.
There will also be a Democratic election in Oregon, where Democrat Tina Kotek won Thursday night after a close race with Republican Christine Drazan.
“We’ve had the best midterms for governors since 1986,” President Biden told reporters at a press conference this week.
Going into the election, Republicans hold 28 state director’s offices and Democrats 22. That number will vary, although final results are pending in some states.
Either way, the majority of Americans “will live in states where Democrats are governors” by 2023, as they win states with high populations, said Ben Williams of the National Convention of the United States. state legislature (NCSL) said in a press call. .
Democrats also gained control in several state legislatures
Republicans have controlled the majority of state legislatures in the country since 2010.
This cycle, two external spending groups affiliated with the Democratic Party put $80 million starting to change that, in addition to the roughly $50 million spent by the party itself. Part of the mission is to make sure state legislatures don’t work to overturn the results of the next presidential election, as many GOP lawmakers did in 2020.
The Democrats succeeded beyond their expectations.
The party toppled the Michigan House of Representatives and the state Senate, a chamber it had not controlled for four decades. That would give Democrats a clear path to enact items on their agenda. In his victory speech, Democratic Governor Whitmer said that would include economic development, improving public education and continuing to “fight like hell” to defend basic rights.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats also claimed to have overthrown the state House of Representatives, holding A press conference to announce their victory. In that room, State Representative Joanna McClinton may have been the first Black woman to be speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The Associated Press has yet to name all of these races, and the state’s Republicans are not giving in. “We believe it is premature for the Democrats to declare a majority at this point, and we are continuing to closely monitor a number of races where votes are still being counted,” a House GOP spokesman said. Pennsylvania Jason Gottesman told NPR.
Some of the Democrats’ success in Michigan and Pennsylvania can be attributed to the new map of voting districts drawn after the 2020 Census.
Democrats also have a majority in both chambers of the Vermont legislature, meaning the party can now overtake the GOP governor.
On the night that he won re-election, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis walked the stage during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., on Nov.
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On the night that he won re-election, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis walked the stage during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., on Nov.
Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images
The incumbent Republican governors went to victory
Republican governors have denied challengers, even in supposedly close races. In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacy Abrams for the second time by a larger margin. In Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis narrowly beat his 2018 opponent, he edged out 2022 rival Charlie Crist, winning by double digits. Governor Greg Abbott also defeated Beto O’Rourke in Texas, winning a third term.
In a much tighter race, Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma overcame a challenge from state education official Joy Hofmeister.
The GOP could still spark discontent in Nevada, which voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. Governor Steve Sisolak is spying on Las Vegas area police chief Joe Lombardo, a Republican, in an effort re-election force. The Associated Press has yet to name the race.
But in Arizona, where Republican Governor Doug Ducey has a term limit, the race is too close to call. As of Friday, former Fox local broadcaster Kari Lake and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs remain locked in a tight race. Lake, who falsely claimed the integrity of the 2020 election, initially refuse to say if she accepts her race results if she loses.
Republicans still control most state legislatures
Republicans have taken hold or strengthened their trios by picking seats in Florida, the Iowa Senate, and the South Carolina House of Representatives. The party currently holds a veto majority in Florida and Ohio. In these states, many conservative policy priorities have been enacted or proposed, such as illegal gun-carrying and restrictions on teaching about sex or sexuality in schools.
Developing that majority, even under Republican leadership, can lead to infighting.
“Just because you’re wearing the same shirt doesn’t mean you’re always competing for the same goals,” said Williams from the NCSL.
But the GOP has been unable to win overwhelming majority in several states with divided governments, meaning Democratic governors can still exercise their veto powers. The Republican Party has won majority in the Wisconsin Senate, but not the Wisconsin House of Representatives.
That’s important because the state’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, survived a tight run for a second term. In his first, he vetoed more than 140 bills and will continue to be able to veto legislation passed by the Republican Party.
The same thing happened in North Carolina. Republicans won a majority in the state Senate. But Democrats say they have kept enough seats in the House to keep the GOP from offending Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.
Divided governments like this are increasingly rare. “Starting in 2010, and in most elections since, red states became redder and blue states became bluer,” said political scientist Kousser.
