State legislative elections and control summaries

[Mr.Phips]

It appears the WI Senate flipped back to being GOP by 3 seats. Wasn't this supposed to be a safe Dem hold?

No. The Dems only managed to win brief control after the recalls because 2001-2011 district lines were in effect. The elections this month used the new, much more GOP-friendly lines, drawn by the Republicans after they took control in 2010.

Actually the GOP-freindly lines had nothing to do with the Democrats losing the Senate this election. Jessica King barley lost in the Oshkosh/Fond du Lac district that was almost identical to the district she won in the 2011 recall. In the other seat to flip, Jim Holperin had been representing a very Republican district and his retirement lead to an automatic pick up. In 2014 the new lines come into play. John Lehman will be out because his seat will become rural Kenosha and Racine counties. There has been some talk that Robert Wirch might retire, which would allow Lehman to run in the Kenosha/Racine 21st. The only potential seat for the Democrats to take would be Dale Shultz seat in the Southwest part of the state, but that would only be possible if he retires. The only way to take back the legislature is to hope that Democrats win the Governor's race in 2018 so we can have a court/compromise drawn map. I care more about winning in 2018 then 2014.

In order to make Lehman's district Republican, they had to make Wirch's district into a safe Dem one. 

[Mr.Phips]

SC's legislature is more Democratic than NC's. Just goes to show how horrendous the gerrymander in NC was.

That's what Democrats get for ignoring the state legislative elections in 2010 in North Carolina.  In the Senate, more focus by the DNC and DLCC here could have probably saved SD-10, SD-19, SD-50, SD-11, SD-05 and SD-08 if Soles ran for reelection(his shooting incident probably would have been a positive in this country).  This would have given Democrats control of the state Senate at 25-25 with the Dem Lt. Governor breaking the tie.  In the House, HD-04, HD-06, HD-41, HD-46, HD-49, HD-51, HD-77, and HD-93.  This would have given Democrats a 60-59 majority in the State House.


This would have at least given Democrats a fair drawn map that would have given them at least a chance to keep their majorities.  It also would have likely saved them NC-07, NC-08, and NC-11 and given them a chance to win back NC-02 under a fair drawn map. 

The loss of this legislature and the NY State Senate in 2010 are two stupid, easily avoidable mistakes that would have probably allowed Democrats to come out of the 2012 elections with an extra six House seats, giving Republicans a 228-207 majority instead of a 234-201 one, leaving them needing just 11 seats in 2014 rather than 17.