GOP expands power in state legislatures

NEW YORK—Republicans had a big night at the state level, in addition to the national level, winning the most control of state legislatures in almost a century, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The gains are remarkable because the GOP already had a strong grip on state chambers, beginning with a wave of state-level victories in 2010. This election expanded the party’s power. Before the election, the GOP controlled 59 of the country’s 98 partisan legislative chambers. (Nebraska has a unicameral, nonpartisan legislature.) Though the vote counts nationally aren’t final, Republicans now control at least 65 legislative chambers.

State legislative races receive scant national attention, but they are hugely influential. Republican legislatures have made big changes already to laws regarding immigration, abortion, and voter ID. Donors have begun recognizing the power of state legislatures, with the National Institute on Money in State Politics estimating that this cycle’s state-level campaign contributions would be record setting, topping last cycle’s $2.1 billion in contributions.

Republicans took control of the West Virginia House for the first time since 1930, with the help of an 18-year-old Republican’s election victory. Early results showed the party also took control of the Minnesota House, the Colorado Senate, and the New Mexico House. The GOP flipped control of both chambers in Nevada, and looked likely to take full control of New Hampshire’s legislature too. After last night, Republicans also will hold at least 31 governorships, further empowering the party at the state level.

In New York, Republicans took outright control of the state Senate, which will be a headache to reelected Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. Democrats still hold the New York Assembly, but now they will have to broker more deals with Republicans.

Before the election, New York Republicans controlled the Senate with a coalition of breakaway Democrats, known as the Independent Democratic Conference, which indicated it would return to the Democratic fold after the election. Now that Republicans have outright control of the Senate, they are sure to block bills like one from Cuomo that would legalize abortion at any time in a pregnancy, for the sake of a woman’s health. Senate Republicans, along with two Democrats, had tabled that bill by one vote last session, even though some Senate Republicans are in favor of abortion.

The abortion bill was one part of a 10-part Women’s Equality Act (WEA), which Democrats made a central message in state-level campaigns. But the Senate Democrats and Republicans who voted against the abortion bill all won reelection. Senate Republicans support passing the other 9 parts of the WEA, which include measures against trafficking and sexual harassment, but the Democratic Assembly has refused to pass the bill without the abortion provision.

“Time will tell, but I think we’ll have partners in the GOP with a little better respect for some of our community,” said Rev. Jason McGuire, who heads up New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, as well as a PAC that was involved in the state legislative races.