More State Governments To Align Along Party Lines Following 2012 Elections

Earlier this week, 11 U.S. states (and Puerto Rico) held gubernatorial elections, and 44 states held elections for at least one house of their state legislative body. As a result, five states elected new governors, as did Puerto Rico. Partisan control of state legislatures changed in nine states. The results indicate a growing trend toward state governments unified under a single political party. Only 12 states now have divided state governments, in which one party controls the governorship and the other party controls at least one house in the legislature, according to the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL). Before the election, a total of 20 state governments were split. NCSL notes that this is the lowest number of split state governments since 1952.

SSTI offered a preview of the 2012 gubernatorial races, and their potential impact on TBED, in the October 3 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest. Incumbent governors retained their seats in Delaware, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia. Of the five new governors elected in Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Washington, only one represented a change in parties. Gov. Pat McCrory will be the first Republican governor of North Carolina in more than 20 years. Republicans now hold governorships in 30 states, compared to only 20 held by Democrats (Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is Independent). This margin of partisan dominance is the highest since 2000.

While Republicans came out ahead in gubernatorial races, Democrats achieved better results in state legislative races. Legislatures in nine states will change parties in the coming months, according to NCSL. Formerly split legislatures in Oregon, Colorado and New York will solidly become Democratic, while Minnesota and Maine's bodies will flip from Republican to Democratic. The previously Republican New Hampshire legislature will now be split between parties. Republicans will take control of previously split legislatures in Wisconsin and Alaska, while both formerly-Democratic houses in Arkansas are now in the hands of Republicans. Only three states, Iowa, Kentucky and New Hampshire, have Republicans in control of one house and Democrats in control of another. In Virginia, Republicans hold the House, while the Senate is tied.

NCSL's review of state elections results highlights the increasing partisan unity of individual state governments. Both parties increased their number of unified state governments (governorships and legislative houses). Fourteen state governments will now be controlled by Democrats, up from 11. Twenty-three state governments will be unified under Republicans, up from 18. The strict partisan divisions between states reflect general red-and-blue divisions apparent in the Electoral College in the presidential race. Governments in the southeastern and mountain regions of the U.S. are becoming unified under Republicans, while the northeastern U.S. and Pacific West are dominated by Democratic legislatures and governorships.

These regional political trends are nothing new, but the recent uptick in partisan unity in individual states now has reached its highest level in more than a half-century. NCLS notes that the 2012 elections have delivered the lowest number of split governments (12) since 1952. It also marks the lowest number of split legislatures (3) since 1944.

Read more at the NCSL site...