MUST READ: Democrats Are Seen To Gain In Statehouse Races
October 31, 2006
An article in today's New York Times highlights the chance for big gains to be made by Democrats in statehouses across the country this November. These gains are important because they will affect the redrawing of Congressional maps, increase the number of women in leadership positions, and influence the outcomes on important state legislative issues such as the minimum wage and stem cell research. These elections have been bolstered by the DNC's 50 state strategy, which is building the infrastructure and grass roots capacity we need to elect Democrats up and down the ballot across the country.
Democrats Are Seen to Gain In Statehouse Races
By Kirk Johnson
The New York Times
October 31, 2006
"More than 6,000 state legislative seats in 46 states are on the Nov. 7 ballot, and like the seismic state elections in 1994 and 1974 the cumulative impact of the outcomes could be immense, with Democrats possibly gaining control of a majority of state capitols for the first time in a decade. ...
"Most significantly, the groundwork for redrawing Congressional districts after the 2010 census will be done under the 50 capitol domes, and the party in power will set the table for those discussions in ways favorable to its interests. Gains made this year, analysts say, will help give incumbents a leg up in the final elections leading up to the redistricting.
"If the Democrats take control of a majority of the legislatures, which polls indicate could happen, women could also attain leadership positions in greater numbers, since Democratic women in state capitals outnumber Republican women by nearly two to one. The next generation of national political leaders, by tradition, is nurtured in the state legislatures. ...
"Some states, like Montana and Colorado, where Democrats gained narrow legislative control for the first time in decades in 2004, are being watched by some political scientists and party leaders as barometers of the party's Western strategy. Other states with closely divided legislatures, including Michigan, Nevada and Tennessee, could be swung by fierce contests for governor or the United States Senate. ... "
To read the entire article, click here.
