While the presidential campaign teams fight over the results at the top of the ballot, Democrats are already beginning to lament over their poor performance further down.
Politico is predicting a “decade of control,” for the GOP after Democrats failed to flip any statehouses. Ally Mutnick and Sabrina Rodriguez write:
An abysmal showing by Democrats in state legislative races on Tuesday not only denied them victories in Sun Belt and Rust Belt states that would have positioned them to advance their policy agenda — it also put the party at a disadvantage ahead of the redistricting that will determine the balance of power for the next decade.
The results could domino through politics in America, helping the GOP draw favorable congressional and state legislative maps by ensuring Democrats remain the minority party in key state legislatures. Ultimately, it could mean more Republicans in Washington — and in state capitals.
By Wednesday night, Democrats had not flipped a single statehouse chamber in its favor. And it remained completely blocked from the map-making process in several key states — including Texas, North Carolina and Florida, which could have a combined 82 congressional seats by 2022 — where the GOP retained control of the state legislatures.
After months of record-breaking fundraising by their candidates and a constellation of outside groups, Democrats fell far short of their goals and failed to build upon their 2018 successes to capture state chambers they had been targeting for years. And they may have President Donald Trump to blame.
“It’s clear that Trump isn’t an anchor for the Republican legislative candidates. He’s a buoy,” said Christina Polizzi, a spokesperson for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, on Wednesday. “He overperformed media expectations, Democratic and Republican expectations, and lifted legislative candidates with him.”
Democrats had a disappointing night in congressional and state legislative races across the country, as they realized the suburban revolt against Trump did not extend in 2020. Republicans appear poised to hold on to the Senate, gain seats in the House and pick up a governorship in Montana, defying expectations. But it is the victories they won in state legislatures could be the most consequential of all, giving the GOP outsize influence over the congressional and legislative redistricting process that begins early next year.
No doubt with painful memories of 2010, 2014, and 2016 on their minds, Democrats are scared of what GOP control of so many state legislatures will mean for their agenda.
Montana State Government
A particularly bright spot for Republicans is the election of Greg Gianforte to the governorship of Montana. Despite regularly voting Republican in presidential races, Montanans haven’t had a Republican governor since 2001.
Gianforte has promised there will be no tax increases in Montana during his tenure. And he’s a lifelong member of the NRA who stands up for the Second Amendment.
Right to Work in Montana?
While Gianforte hasn’t addressed the issue, unions are terrified that he, along with the Republican-controlled legislature, will pass a Right to Work law protecting workers from being forced into unions. Montana is surrounded by Right to Work states and would benefit from ending forced unionism.
