“We have a split caucus,” said Joshua Cole, a Democrat elected in November to the House of Delegates from Northern Virginia, who describes himself as a progressive. “We have old-school Democrats, moderate Democrats who represent moderate areas, and then you have progressives. You are going to see bills that are very aggressive, but the question is whether they make it out of committee.”

Democrats may find that control of state government does not always translate into overwhelming legislative success, political analysts said.

“In most places, having Democratic unified control is not carte blanche to enact a progressive policy agenda,” said Sarah F. Anzia, a political scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. “Winning and keeping those majorities requires catering to more moderate Democrats.”

In Maine, moderate Democrats joined Republicans to block a “red flag” firearms bill that would have allowed relatives to petition courts to confiscate firearms from residents if a judge determined they were a risk to themselves or to others. Instead, a compromise was approved that generally requires a medical professional to assess mental stability and make that determination.

In Oregon, where Democrats control both legislative chambers and the governor’s office, the party won approval for a statewide rent control law but failed to push through a bill that would have significantly decreased the amount of greenhouse gases that businesses were legally allowed to emit. Republicans blocked the bill by suddenly leaving the state so they would not be forced to vote.

And in New Mexico, also controlled by Democrats, conservative-leaning Democrats and Republicans in the legislature prevented the repeal of a law that would prohibit abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade is struck down by the Supreme Court.

Along with the 2020 presidential race, upcoming state legislative elections are viewed as critical because the winners in most states will get to draw once-a-decade maps, setting district boundaries for state and congressional elections after a new census count.