Democrats made major gains in state-level elections on Tuesday, taking control of several governors’ offices and legislative chambers. The shift erased much of the Republican advantage in unified state control and could create new opportunities for climate legislation, clean-energy policies, and efforts to reduce emissions.
Democrats expand control of state governments
Before the election, Republicans held more governorships and state legislative seats than Democrats, giving them an advantage in the “trifecta”—unified control of the governor’s office and both chambers of a state legislature.
Democrats swept most of the major state-level races, taking gubernatorial control from Republicans in Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Nevada, and Texas.
Democrats hold a 29–19 lead in the gubernatorial races, while Kansas remains too close to call and Alaska may take additional time to declare a winner.
The party is on track to gain several hundred legislative seats, potentially giving it more nationwide control than Republicans for the first time in more than a decade. When the election began, Republicans held 4,072 seats and Democrats held 3,257, according to Multistate, a research and lobbying firm. Democrats recorded a net gain of more than 350 seats on Tuesday, according to Multistate, and could gain hundreds more as officials continue counting votes.
Democrats gained five new trifectas in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Arizona is likely to become the sixth once officials finish counting. The gains bring the party to 22 trifectas, while Republicans hold unified control in 18 states. Nine states remain under split control, and Kansas is still undecided.
Republicans lost control in Iowa, Georgia, Texas, New Hampshire, and Ohio. Before the election, Republicans held trifectas in 23 states, Democrats held them in 16, and 11 states had split control.
Potential consequences for climate policy
The changes could have significant implications for climate and energy policy, said Caroline Spears, executive director of the advocacy group Climate Cabinet.
“States have undergone a generational shift in political windows to improve people’s lives, lower costs, and reduce climate pollution at the same time,” she said during a conference call.
Source: arstechnica.com
