As I mentioned earlier, Maine's Legislature remained, barely, in Democratic hands this year. As I also noted, it was not due to the electorate here turning any "redder", but as a backlash to last year's failure of the House and Senate to produce meaningful property tax reform.
Seems that the creeping red tide in state legislatures was decidedly stemmed this November all around the country:
NCSL's initial analysis of the 2004 elections give Democrats a slight edge in gaining political ground, picking up a few more legislative chambers than their GOP counterparts. They also overtook the Republicans in total state legislators. Before the election, Republicans had 64 more legislators. Now, the Democrats lead by 12.By the slimmest of margins, Democrats claimed the most political chamber switches of the night. Based on unofficial results, the Democrats won the Colorado House, Colorado Senate, Montana Senate, North Carolina House, Oregon Senate, Vermont House, Washington Senate. In the case of the Colorado and Washington chambers, the margin of victory is only one seat, and recounts are expected in several districts.
Republicans continued to make gains in the South, claiming the Georgia House, Oklahoma House and Tennessee Senate. The also wrested the Indiana House from the Democrats.
Republicans now control both legislative chambers in 20 states; Democrats in 19. Ten are split (Nebraska is non-partisan and unicameral.) As a whole, Republicans control 50 chambers, Democrats 47, and one is tied.
As Dwight mentioned below, these races, while not particuarly "sexy", are critical for Democrats to regain Congressional seats, as state legislatures control redistricting. And since it's not currently clear between the Colorado and Texas decisions just when redistricting can take place, it's still important to work towards that goal sooner rather than later.
In addition, state legislatures are the real breakwater between the dangerous policies of the Bush Administration and our most vulnerable families.
Posted by MB Williams at November 6, 2004 01:40 PM | TrackBackSpeaking of my grasping a post of out your hands, turnabout is fair play :>. I think that the state legislature wins are some of the most hopeful of the 2004 cycle.
Majority parties are built from the ground up.
Posted by: dwight at November 6, 2004 03:12 PMWhere is the outrage at the use of easily hackable electronic voting machines, without a voter-verifiable paper trail?
In my view the use of these machines thoroughly delegitimizes the election results. Don't be so quick to try to find fault with Democrats when it is very likely that the Republicans have stolen yet another election.
More information here:
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003197.html
and here:
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003214.html
and here:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won_.php
http://www.flashpoints.net/#2004-11-03
http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR110304.htm
http://politics.slashdot.org/politics/04/11/06/1857203.shtml?tid=103&tid=226&tid=172&tid=126
http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=388
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/10103931.htm?1c
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041105/ap_on_el_pr/voting_problems
http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=18297&Section=Local
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1105-25.htm
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/3/52213/1921
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/130301/index.php
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/11/302395.shtml
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65623,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2
http://www.movingideas.org/activism/networks/post_election.html
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=%2Farticles%2F2004%2F11%2F02%2Fnews%2Fobserve.html