GOP poised to grab control at state levels

[Gingersnap]

GOP poised to grab control at state levels

Democrats in danger of losing legislatures
By Joseph Weber
8:07 p.m., Monday, July 12, 2010

When it rains, it pours.

Democratic leaders already braced for losses in November in congressional and gubernatorial races may be looking at grief on yet another front: A record number of state legislatures could change party control this year, with Democrats at risk of losing their majorities in more than 20 state chambers, according to a comprehensive analysis.

Electing state lawmakers will be especially important this year because the party that controls at least one chamber of the legislature typically wins a seat at the table - and a veto - in the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts after the 2010 census.

A survey by the Washington-based Governing magazine last week found that more chambers could change party hands in 2010 than in any other election cycle since at least 2002. Although more than 20 Democrat-controlled state chambers are in play, Republicans are in jeopardy of losing just four.

Other surveys show Republican gubernatorial candidates looking strong in many states, increasing the chance of a major shift in the balance of power in state-level politics heading into the 2012 presidential election.

The party in the White House usually loses seats at the state level in midterm elections.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the White House party has been a net loser of state legislative seats in every election in the past 110 years except 1934 and 2002, the first midterm elections of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W. Bush, respectively.

That dynamic, combined with voter concerns about the economy, federal spending and Democratic control of 55 percent of state seats means 2010 is "shaping up to be the worst election for Democrats since 1994," said the NCSL's Tim Storey.

Roughly 30 percent of state legislatures are considered in play. The number was similar in 2002, but recent history shows that the number of legislatures where control can flip from one party to the other increases as Election Day nears.

Washington Times

[djones520]

From what I understand, Michigan is a strong possibility to switch hands this year. Go Hoekstra! :D

[Constitutionally Speaking]

From what I understand, Michigan is a strong possibility to switch hands this year. Go Hoekstra! :D

Anyone who looks at Michigan can see where Democrat policy leads yet idiots all over the country and even this state, will blindly support anyone with a "D" beside their name.

Hopefully what has happened here in Michigan is bad enough to wake some of these people up.

I keep telling everyone I know that if you live in Michigan and STILL vote for a Democrat, then you don't deserve the job you lost or are about to lose.

[noonwitch]

From what I understand, Michigan is a strong possibility to switch hands this year. Go Hoekstra! :D

I'm voting for Snyder in the primary next week. I think a businessman is what we need, not a guy whose main credentials are foreign policy and counter-terrorism. I don't trust Hoekstra's religious right agenda. He's farther to the right on social issues than Engler, who at least had the common sense to oppose the charter school proposal in the late 90s that the Devos family tried to get the voters to approve.


Cox is the worst candidate, though, even worse than either democrat running. I'm surprised the attack ads against him aren't more vicious. They are sticking to his whitewashing of the Kwame investigation, but they could go after his false accusations toward Fieger, whom he accused of trying to blackmail him over the affair he had behind his wife's back a few years ago. Fieger is a scumbag and all, but he didn't do that.

[fettpett]

I'm voting for Snyder in the primary next week. I think a businessman is what we need, not a guy whose main credentials are foreign policy and counter-terrorism. I don't trust Hoekstra's religious right agenda. He's farther to the right on social issues than Engler, who at least had the common sense to oppose the charter school proposal in the late 90s that the Devos family tried to get the voters to approve.


Cox is the worst candidate, though, even worse than either democrat running. I'm surprised the attack ads against him aren't more vicious. They are sticking to his whitewashing of the Kwame investigation, but they could go after his false accusations toward Fieger, whom he accused of trying to blackmail him over the affair he had behind his wife's back a few years ago. Fieger is a scumbag and all, but he didn't do that.

I'm going Synder too. I like his platform and ideas. he's the only one thats recently been in business. Not a fan of Hoekstra and some of the pandering he's done over the years. though, being from Holland I'm not surprised he's all religious leaning (doesn't bother me, just not a fan of his)

what day is the Primary?

[noonwitch]

I'm going Synder too. I like his platform and ideas. he's the only one thats recently been in business. Not a fan of Hoekstra and some of the pandering he's done over the years. though, being from Holland I'm not surprised he's all religious leaning (doesn't bother me, just not a fan of his)

what day is the Primary?

I think it's August 3rd.

[djones520]

*shrugs* I've had personal correspondance with Hoekstra and he's always made a great impression on me. I still have the hand written note he sent me thanking me for my military service. While most his work in Congress has been with the Foreign and Intell, I've never seen anything to show he doesn't know how to handle things at the state level. He sends out weekly emails and I read them pretty regularly and I think he's got good plans.

I'm not sure if I'll get my ballot in time for the Primaries, but thats who my vote is going to if so.

[PC Guy]

Hoping to see lots of unemployed Democraps in two and a half months.

[noonwitch]

*shrugs* I've had personal correspondance with Hoekstra and he's always made a great impression on me. I still have the hand written note he sent me thanking me for my military service. While most his work in Congress has been with the Foreign and Intell, I've never seen anything to show he doesn't know how to handle things at the state level. He sends out weekly emails and I read them pretty regularly and I think he's got good plans.

I'm not sure if I'll get my ballot in time for the Primaries, but thats who my vote is going to if so.

If there aren't a lot of crossover democrats voting in the repub primary, I think Hoekstra will win, because it will be his conservative base voting, for the most part.

But there are a lot of people in the metro Detroit area who are traditionally democrats who are considering crossing over to vote for either Bouchard or Snyder. Oakland County people like Bouchard because he's a nice guy-he's a pretty solid conservative, though. But most of us absolutely hate Andy Dillon (Dem front-runner), and know that he can't win a state-wide election because he's part of the problem. My young, white coworkers (who voted for Obama and Granholm in the past) really like Snyder.


Interstingly, my union sent me a list of their primary endorsements the other day. They didn't endorse Dillon, they endorsed Virg Benero, the mayor of Lansing. The UAW doesn't endorse in the GOP primary, but occasionally will endorse a republican in a general election. Unfortunately, the endorsed Kwame's Mommy, too, when she has a very viable democratic challenger in Hansen Clark. She needs to be out of office when the feds indict her over her part in her son's antics.

[djones520]

Which worries me about Snyder. If he's drawing so much support from across the aisle, well... *shrugs* I don't know, Michigan has had plenty of years being ran by the Blue, and it hasn't really done them any good.