Democrats gain ground in state legislatures

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Democrats won more than the battle for the presidency Tuesday. They made big gains in state and local governments, too, riding the same get-out-the-vote drive that helped re-elect President Obama.

The Democratic Party took control of eight state legislative chambers and added about 200 legislators nationwide, estimates the National Conference of State Legislatures. Republicans had important successes, too, winning four chambers and defending others that were vulnerable.

The result is a nation that is increasingly divided politically and geographically — similar to the the Electoral College map. The political parties will share legislative control — one Democratic chamber, one Republican chamber — in only three states next year, the smallest number since the 1940s, NCSL reports.

After this year's election, the South is nearly purely Republican. The party appears to have taken control of both the Arkansas House and Senate for the first time since the 1870s. The historic switch of parties is now complete: 10 Deep South states have changed from total Democratic control to total Republican control.

The Northeast is now almost purely Democratic. The party won control of the New York Senate, which Republicans had controlled for nearly all of the last 50 years. Both Maine chambers flipped party control. And Democrats took control of the New Hampshire House and came within a whisker of taking the state Senate.

Legislatures in the three West Coast states are now Democratic territory, excluding Alaska. The nation's middle — the agricultural heartland, the Mountain West, the Dakotas — are mostly reliable Republican. The Great Lakes region is a swing area.

"There's a polarization of states," says NCSL elections expert Tim Storey. "The state map is now similar to the presidential map."

For the first time in two decades, no legislative chambers will be deadlocked, which forces parties to share control. The Virginia Senate is closest to political equality — a 20-20 deadlock — but the state's lieutenant governor breaks the tie, giving control to Republicans.

Last year, the Oregon House was tied 30-30 and run by co-chairs from each party. "It worked great. It created an unprecedented level of bipartisanship and cooperation," says John Svicarovich, research manager at the Oregon Business Council.

In past decades, state legislatures reflected a diversity of cultural traditions within a state — rural, urban, populist, libertarian, east, west, upstate, downstate. But sophisticated redistricting has helped the dominant party solidify its control of legislatures.

Today, battleground legislatures are similar to presidential battleground states. Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wisconsin are key battlegrounds. Wisconsin Republicans took control of the state Senate Tuesday — despite Obama's 7 percentage point victory in the state — after losing the chamber to Democrats several months ago in recall elections.

State legislatures are the center of many of the nation's toughest political battles, from gay marriage to education funding. The legislatures are often a common stepping stone to higher office. President Obama began his political career as an Illinois state senator. About 6,000 of the nation's 7,400 legislative seats were up for grabs Tuesday.

Some surprises may remain:

Arkansas. Democrats may keep the House if recounts turn in their favor.

New York. Democrats won the Senate by one vote but may lose control because of a defector.