Axios C-Suite: Your new state-level reality after the midterms
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You can only fully appreciate the Republican obliteration in the midterm election by looking at what happened at the state level, especially in typically conservative ones.
By the numbers: Going in, Republicans held 23 state trifectas (governor and both state legislative chambers), Democrats had 16 and 11 states were divided.
- By my preliminary tally, it's now roughly 22 Democratic, 18 Republican and 10 divided.
- If it all sticks, it's the first time since 2010 that Democrats will hold more trifectas than Republicans.
- 75% of Americans will live in a state with a Democratic governor. 53% will live in Democratic trifectas.
⬅️ Here's what I see as the most dramatic shifts, ranked:
- Texas: Just stare at the graphic above and soak it in.
- Wisconsin: It went from divided government to a Democratic trifecta, the party's first since 2010. Both legislative chambers flipped from red to blue.
- Pennsylvania: It's also a new Democratic trifecta. Democrats won the state Senate for the first time since before the 1994 elections. The nation's sixth-largest economy now has one-party control.
- Georgia: A Republican trifecta is broken. Keisha Lance Bottoms will be Georgia's first Democratic governor elected since 1998. Dems also flipped the state House.
- Ohio and Iowa: Both lost their Republican trifectas when Democrats won the governorships.
- New Hampshire: A Republican trifecta is broken from the bottom up. Both legislative chambers flipped to Democrats, while Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte won reelection.
- Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada: Each is a new Democratic trifecta, finished off by a single flip. In Michigan and Minnesota, it was the state House (Minnesota previously had been tied); in Nevada, the governorship.
⚖️ Five state attorney general seats — Iowa, Georgia, Ohio, Texas and Kansas — flipped from Republicans to Democrats. 29 state AGs are now Dems (including D.C.), compared to 22 Republicans.
The bottom line: Look beyond just D.C. It's time to retool and rethink your state lobbying strategies, too.
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