Updated--GOP Gains in Legislatures are Historic

by Tim Storey

(Updated at Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 1:21 p.m.)

Republicans have added over 675 seats to their ranks in this election, dramatically surpassing 1994 gains. This number could go even higher as the tallies in the undecided races are determined.

The success by Republicans at the state level could give the GOP a dramatic advantage in the redistricting cycle that will start in just a few short months. The Census Bureau will deliver data to legislatures in early February. There are many caveats when it comes to redistricting especially given the legal complexity of the task and the inevitable litigation. But Republicans are in the best shape for the decennial linedrawing that they have been in since the modern era of redistricting began in the 1970s.

All legislative chamber switches in the 2010 election are going from a Democratic majority to a new Republican majority with one going from Dem to tied. Sentence updated 12/14/10, see comment below: That includes an historic win in the Minnesota Senate where Republicans will be in the majority for the first time since the legislature switched back to partisan elections in 1974. In addition, Republicans now control the Alabama Legislature for the first time since reconstruction and the North Carolina General Assembly for the first time since 1870. As of now, Republicans appear to have added at least 19 chambers and that number could grow. The GOP gained 20 chambers in the 1994 election, and it’s not out of the question they will reach that milestone again this year with control of several chambers still up in the air.

Across the country, Republicans now control 55 chambers, Democrats have 38 and two are tied. Three chambers are undecided. Remember, Nebraska legislature is a unicameral.

The chamber switches thus far are all Democratic to Republican except for Montana House which was tied and is now Republican, and the Oregon House which was Democratic and is now tied. Changes are:

GOP gains

Alabama - House and Senate
Colorado - House
Indiana - House
Iowa - House
Maine – House and Senate
Michigan - House
Minnesota - House and Senate
Montana - House
New Hampshire - House and Senate
North Carolina - House and Senate
Ohio - House
Pennsylvania - House
Wisconsin - Assembly and Senate

Tied
Oregon House
Alaska Senate

The GOP flexed their muscle in all regions of the country. In the south, Republicans now control 18 of the 28 legislative chambers and a majority of all southern legislative seats for the first time since reconstruction. Prior to the election, each party held 14 southern chambers, and just 20 years ago, there were no legislative chambers in the south held by the GOP. In the midwest, Democrats now control only 38 percent of the region's legislative seats--their lowest point since 1956. Republicans also made gains in the east and west. Gains in the east were helped by the huge shift of over 120 seats to the R column in the 400 member New Hampshire House.

Two chambers still undecided:
New York - Senate
Oregon - Senate

For more information, log onto NCSL's StateVote 2010 page.

Comments

[Erik]

Tim, the article (near the end) says, "Democrats also made gains in the east and west." Should that be, "Republicans also made gains in the east and west."?

Thanks for the updates!

[NCSL Blog Team]

You are correct Erik, we have made that change. Thanks for noticing the error and bringing it to our attention.

[David]

Great website, updates, & graphics! Good work! I notice that the Louisiana House is currently 51D/50R , while the Mississippi Senate is 27D/25R. No margin of error for the Democrats. Since these two states didn't have legislative elections this year, don't count out a few party switchers soon, with those two states turning from blue to yellow on your map. All it takes is one or two in each of those two chambers. They can see the handwriting on the wall now. Arkansas will be the last entirely Democratic controlled legislative holdout in the South, and even that is slipping fast.

[John M.]

By the end of this decade, every legislature and governor's mansion in the South (former Confederacy plus Oklahoma, Kentucky, and West Virginia) will be controlled by Republicans.

[Albert Parker]

It’s just not true that "in the Minnesota Senate . . . Republicans will be in the majority for the first time ever, although the legislature was nonpartisan until 1974." The following data were compiled by political scientist Walter Dean Burnham in the 1960’s. The Minnesota State Historian or the clerk of the Minnesota State Senate ought to be able to confirm details.

Minnesota was admitted to the union in 1857 and held its first state legislative elections in that year. State legislative elections were NOT "nonpartisan."

Results of Minnesota State Senate Elections, by Party, 1857–1912
1857: Democrats (D) 20, Republicans (R), 17—Democratic Party control of Minn. Sen.
1859: D 13, R 23, Other (O) 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1861: D 5, R 16—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1863: D 6, R 14, Other (O) 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1865: D 7, R 14—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1867: D 7, R 15—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1869: D 8, R 14—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1871: D 12, R 29—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1873: D 13, R 28—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1874: D 18, R 21, O 2—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1876: D 15, R 26—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1877: D 14, R 27—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1878: D 16, R 23, Greenback (G) 2—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1880: D 11, R 29, G 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1882: D 10, R 37, O 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1884: D 17, R 30—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1886: D 16, R 30, O 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1888: D 16, R 31—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1890: D 15, R 27, Farmers Alliance 12—Tie between Republicans and coalition of Democrats and Farmers Alliance, but the lieutenant-governor, who presided, was a Republican, so it is likely that there was REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF THE MINNESOTA SENATE
1892: D 15, R 26, People’s or Populist (P) 13—A Democratic-Populist coalition could have controlled the Senate if they all voted together for committee assignments, etc. (lieutenant-governor still a Republican, able to break tie in favor of Republicans if one Populist defected)
1894: D 3, R 46, P 6—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1896: D 3, R 46, P 5—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1898: D 18, R 44, O 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1900: D 18, R 44, O 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1902: D 11, R 52—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1904: D 10, R 53—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1906: D 20, R 43—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1908: D 18, R 44, P 1—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1910: D 20, R 41, O 2—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!
1912: D 20, R 41, O 2—REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF MINNESOTA SENATE!

BEGINNING WITH THE 1914 ELECTION, Minnesota election law required “nonpartisan” election of state legislators, and state senators could henceforth not be identified legally as Republicans or Democrats.

It may be that the 2010 election marks the first time Republicans, under that label, have won control of the Minnesota Senate since state legislative candidates were again allowed to run with party labels beginning in 1974.

[Albert Parker]

The list of blog links by state at the left is nice, but I'd swear that "The Capitol Record," listed after "NY:" and among several other New YORK blogs, is about New HAMPSHIRE: Gov. Chris Gregoire is prominently mentioned.

[Tim Storey]

Albert,

You are absolutely correct about the Minnesota senate. In the swirl of election night, I forgot to double-check and made the erroneous assumption that Minnesota elections were always nonpartisan before switching to partisan in the 1970s. Now, I know. I will fix the post. Thank you.

Tim