No blue wave, but Democrats gain in governorships

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — It may not be the case in Ohio, but the Republican wall that has stood in state capitols for much of the past decade now has a few holes in it.

Democrats flipped control of seven gubernatorial offices, marking their greatest gains in several decades, and picked up hundreds of state legislative seats in Tuesday’s first midterm elections of President Donald Trump’s tenure.

Yet those victories didn’t quite reach the lofty goals of an anticipated blue wave, leaving both major parties with reason for hope on Wednesday.

Some of the biggest wins for Democrats came in the Midwest, where Republicans had virtually wiped them out in prior elections. Democrats defeated Republican Govs. Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Bruce Rauner in Illinois while picking up open seats previously held by Republican governors in Michigan and Kansas.

Democrats also flipped control of governors’ offices being vacated by Republicans in Maine, Nevada and New Mexico.

The Democratic Governors Association said it was the party’s greatest number of pickups since 1982. The Democratic group’s chairman, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, called it “a broadbased win” and a historically big rejection of the president’s party.

“For those who were troubled by the results of 2016 in the Midwest, we have proved that the Democrats can run and win,” Inslee said.

Yet Republicans held on to the governor’s office in other key swing states targeted by Democrats, including Florida, Ohio and Iowa. In Alaska, Republican Mike Dunleavy fended off Democrat Mark Begich to win, replacing independent Gov. Bill Walker, who ended his re-election campaign last month.

And in Georgia, Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp was leading in the gubernatorial race.

Republicans entered Tuesday’s election controlling 33 governors’ offices and two-thirds of the 99 state legislative chambers. The Democratic gubernatorial victories will push that closer to an even split. But Republicans will still control at least three-fifths of the state legislative chambers, even after Democrats flipped about a half-dozen chambers.

The gubernatorial and legislative gains appeared to give Democrats new trifectas of power in Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico and New York. Democrats also broke up existing Republican trifectas in Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

Yet Democrats still will have full control of the governor’s office and legislature in about one-third fewer states than Republicans.

During the first midterm election of Democratic President Barack Obama’s tenure, in 2010, Republicans picked up about 725 state legislative seats while flipping control of 21 chambers. Republicans then used that enhanced power in many states to redraw legislative districts to their favor after the 2010 Census.

But that jostling for power to redraw districts in 2020 will matter less in some states. Voters in Colorado, Michigan and Missouri approved ballot measures Tuesday overhauling the redistricting process in ways that are intended to reduce the likelihood of partisan gerrymandering.