(AFP) – The blue wave Democrats rode to retake control of the US Congress this week extended into state-level races, as the party won majorities in a number of legislatures previously held by Republicans. Democrats secured new trifectas — control of both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s seat — in at least five states in Tuesday’s midterms, flipping at least 11 state legislative chambers from Republican control, according to data from NGO State Navigate late Wednesday. The victories mean the party will have the power to lead policy decisions on everything from health care to taxation in states such as Texas and Georgia, where they had long taken a backseat.
“Democrats are on track to have their largest net gain in state legislative seats in the 21st century,” Chaz Nuttycombe, State Navigate’s executive director, told AFP. “It’s not a blue wave; it’s a blue cataclysm.” Among the most striking results are in Texas, where Democrats wrested the majority in the state’s lower chamber from Republicans for the first time since 2002 while also winning the governorship. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms turned the governor’s seat blue for the first time in more than two decades, and Democrats similarly flipped control of the legislature’s lower chamber.
– Far from Washington gridlock – President Donald Trump has vowed to use his veto powers to reject legislation from the incoming Democratic Congress, a move that could lead to gridlock at the national level. Experts have suggested the state-level gains could circumvent that issue. Democrats this week won complete control of government in five states — Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Nevada — and were on the verge of doing the same in Arizona as of early Thursday.
“They won’t have to be frustrated by vetoes and Senate filibusters, which are no doubt going to frustrate Democrats at the national level,” said Thad Kousser, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, referring to the state Democratic trifectas. The victories will allow Democrats the freedom to legislate on prominent policy points. Kousser noted that many of the most pressing issues in voters’ lives are now decided at the state level, referencing the 2022 Supreme Court decision ending federal abortion protections and giving states the power to dictate their own abortion laws. Data centers and artificial intelligence have also emerged as top issues as the Trump administration has shied away from regulatory action.
In Texas, Democratic Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa campaigned on tighter regulations for AI data centers. “The key issues that matter most for Americans’ daily lives are things like education, criminal justice, and medical care, and those policies are primarily made by states,” Kousser said. Nuttycombe of State Navigate put it this way: “State governments are much more efficient than Congress and can actually get things done. Some of these states haven’t had Democratic trifectas in decades; the legislators will feel they have a lot of catching up to do.”
– Ulysse BELLIER
© 2024 AFP
