Georgia state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, the party’s nominee for speaker of the House of Representatives, speaks to members of the Democratic caucus in the capital on Thursday.
Sarah Kallis/GPB News
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Sarah Kallis/GPB News
The midterm elections saw historic changes in state legislatures.
Pennsylvania elected voters a democrat majority in the State Senate for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president. Texas Democrats will run the State House there for the first time in 24 years. The Georgia House will have a Democratic majority for the first time in over 20 years old.
The results reversed the Republican Party’s dominance in legislatures that began in 2010 and had solidified since.
As the midterm elections approached, Republicans controlled legislatures in 28 states and Democrats held 18. The few others were divided. Now that some votes are still being counted, it seems likely that Democrats will hold a 24-22 lead, with the rest split.
So far, Democrats have won seats in almost every state that has held congressional elections, according to data compiled by NPR. Democrats gained ground in unexpectedly reliably Republican states, like Texas, Utah and Florida.
This shift could mean real change in people’s lives, as legislatures rewrite laws on taxes, reproductive rights, access to health care, school funding and other issues. Legislatures have also played an important role in favoring or blocking President Trump’s agenda.
The New Democratic “trifecta” controlling the legislature and the governor’s office
The Republican State Legislative Committee, which coordinates support for Republican candidates, blamed the losses on the anti-historical National Party mood and heavy spending for Democrats. “Ultimately, the results of this cycle underscore both the challenges Republicans face and the importance of maintaining a strong and sustained presence in the states,” the group’s president said. Edith Jorge-Tuñón, wrote.
The president of their rival organizationHeather Williams of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said their victories “prove what’s possible when you put states at the center of a national strategy.”
Some of the biggest changes could come in states where Democrats now control both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office. They won six new “trifectas”.
In Arizona, the Democrats will have the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate and will occupy the post of governor – a winning trio – for the first time since 1966.
One possible policy change could concern school vouchers. Governor Katie Hobbs has repeatedly attempted to reform and limit the state’s billion-dollar voucher programwhich provides public funds for private school tuition, regardless of family income. But the Republican-led legislature blocked it. Arizona Democrats said they also hoped to provide financial assistance on rent, utilities and child care.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro promised to work with a new Democratic legislature to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, strengthen abortion rights and increase affordable housing.
Democrats also enjoyed triumphs in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nevada, where they won the governorship. They broke the Republican trio in Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas.
Heading into the midterm elections, Republicans had a bit more of a trifecta than Democrats. Now, Democrats will likely have 22 and Republicans 17, with 10 other states split, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (This does not include Nebraska, with a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled unicameral legislature.)
Democrats can break Republican momentum in some states
In some states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, Democrats have turned Republican-controlled legislatures into divided legislatures.
Georgia Democrats won the House and moved closer in the Senate. On their agenda, they could try to convince a few Republican lawmakers and pass the bill. Expanding Medicaid to Ensure Health care for more low-income residents. House Democrats could also work to repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban, but that could be difficult to convince in the Senate.
Democrats have taken control of the North Carolina State House of Representatives. As for the state Senate, a Republican is ahead in the race for a seat by just over a few hundred votes and there is likely to be a recount. It will determine whether Republicans will have a one-seat majority or whether the chambers will be tied. In the event of a tie, the Democratic lieutenant governor would be the tiebreaker.
North Carolina Democrats are expected to try to remove some abortion restrictions. And Democratic Gov. Josh Stein called on both parties to work to address affordability issues once the Legislature convenes.
In several states, Democrats failed to flip some Republican chambers but won enough seats to end Republican supermajorities. The Multistate Government Relations Firm says it happened in six states which had Republican and veto-proof supermajorities.
This will matter more where there are Democratic governors, who now have veto power over Republican Party initiatives, such as in North Carolina, Ohio and Kansas.
Colin Campbell of the WUNC, Sarah Kallis of Georgian Public Broadcasting, Carmen Russell-Sluchanski of WHY and Wayne Schutsky of KJZZ, contributed to this story.
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