“DEMOCRATS HAD A DECADE TO CONSOLIDATE POWER. THEY BLEW THEIR CHANCE.”

– Washington Post


“Sweeping Republican State Victories Ensure Control over Redistricting”

– National Review

“Opinion: Voters stood up to the culture and declared their center-right values”

– Washington Examiner

“Dems have yet to pick up a single state legislative chamber while GOP flips 2”

– Fox News

“Republicans solidify grip on state legislatures”

– CNBC

“State Legislative Wins Position GOP to Control Redistricting: Credit RSLC, Austin Chambers, and Ron Weiser for Blocking “Blue Wave”

– Conservative Intel

“GOP expands Statehouse; Coattails seem to continue down ballot”

– Des Moines Register (Iowa)

“Republicans Keep Control of North Carolina Legislative Chambers”

– NC Associated Press (North Carolina)


The Washington Post: “In an era of Washington gridlock, what happens in state legislatures matters more than ever.” (The Washington Post, 11/08/20)

• “Leading up to Election Day, Democrats touted their chances of winning back key seats in Republican-held state legislatures around the country.
• “This week, they blew it. Instead of cementing congressional control for a decade, Democrats’ majority is now at future risk.”
• “Democrats accused Republicans of rampant gerrymandering, although they were notably silent on maps that disproportionately favored their side in blue states.”
• “Groups like the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Emily’s List and Forward Majority, a Democratic super PAC, spent millions of dollars targeting legislative races in Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and Republicans spent millions defending their turf. If Democrats could flip just a few seats, they would win control of one or both legislative chambers, giving themselves at least a seat at the table when the new round of maps are drawn.”

• It didn’t happen. Republicans maintained control of both legislative chambers in all three of those states.”

• “For all the millions spent, for all the attention Democrats focused on nefarious gerrymandering practices, they changed little this year and weren’t able to turn the tables on Republicans.”

Salena Zito via Washington Examiner: “Had you spent any space of time in this northern suburb of Pittsburgh listening to voters, finding out what things mattered to them when it came to schools, community growth, economic prosperity, and the emotional impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, you would have at least been skeptical of the media narrative and the polls that claimed suburban voters here are no longer center-right.” (Washington Examiner, 11/08/20)

• “Surely, they [reporters] thought, these suburbs would cave under the cultural pressure, push left, and their votes would send a blue shock wave across the country.”
• “These reporters put their faith in what they saw in polls or on Twitter, and they predicted the vilification of center-rightism would drag the country leftward — except the people who voted here, and in down-ballot races across the country, vigorously rejected that pressure.”
• “Going into Election Day, the polls and the media narrative expected that Republicans were going to be swept out of office down the ballot in a blue wave. They believed the country had now fully embraced “wokeism” and rejected center-right values and principles.”
• “Republicans didn’t just gain seats here in Pennsylvania in the state House and state Senate. There is also a better than 50% chance that it won two statewide offices. Republicans also gained state House and Senate seats in Ohio and West Virginia, while Democrats lost ground in North Carolina and Iowa.”
• “And all that boasting and bragging about Democrat prospects of winning the Texas state House fell flat.”

National Review: “Democratic hopes for a resounding electoral victory on Tuesday seem to be ending in disappointment and possible stalemate.” (National Review, 11/06/20)

• “Democrats had hoped to flip state legislatures in several traditionally Republican states in the 2020 elections. Several Democratic groups poured funds into efforts to flip the Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Arizona state legislatures, including Forward Majority which spent $32 million on the effort.”
• “That effort now appears to have failed. Republicans held on to state legislatures in every state that the party already controlled, including in crucial swing states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. On top of this, Republicans flipped both the House and Senate of the New Hampshire state legislature, and prevented Democrats from gaining control of the upper chamber of Minnesota’s state House, which will give Republicans a say in redistricting parts of the Twin Cities.”
• “Democrats’ failure to gain a majority in the Texas state legislature was particularly disappointing for the party.”

Fox News: “While the progressive party has yet to flip a single chamber, Republicans have picked up majorities in both chambers of the New Hampshire Legislature.” (Fox News, 11/07/2020)

• “The stability in legislative chambers this year is a historical anomaly.”

CNBC: “Republicans were able to fend off challenges from Democrats trying to flip control of state legislatures in key states. That means that in 2021, Republicans will control a majority of redistricting efforts across the country. Democrats have been unable to flip even a single state legislative chamber as of Friday afternoon.” (CNBC, 11/6/2020)

• “Meanwhile, Republicans gained two new state trifectas in New Hampshire and Montana, after the GOP ran up majorities in the New Hampshire House and Senate and flipped the Montana governorship.”

Des Moines Register: “Still, based on preliminary results, Republicans appear to have emerged with a 59-41 majority after narrow victories like Andrews’ in suburban seats that Democrats won two years ago and running up larger margins in mid-size cities and rural parts of the state. The results mean Republicans will have two more years of unified control of state government, including the governor’s office, the House and the Senate. They will be free to pursue policies such as tax cuts, expanded gun rights and abortion restrictions, with Democrats all but powerless to stop them.” (Des Moines Register, 11/08/2020)

Associated Press: “North Carolina Republicans have withstood a massive effort by Democrats inside the state and nationally to retake both General Assembly chambers. Election results on Tuesday showed GOP candidates winning majorities in the 50-seat Senate and 120-seat House so the party could extend control for another two years and retain their conservative policy agenda. Democrats had been on a multimillion-dollar spending push to win several additional seats in each chamber and flip power. The GOP majorities mean Republicans will be able in 2021 to redraw district maps for the next decade based on new census figures. Republicans controlled redistricting in the 2010s. Their maps were almost continuously in court after Democrats and their allies filed lawsuits.” (NC Associated Press, 11/04/2020)

Henry Herald: “Georgia Republicans have maintained their grip on the state House of Representatives and ousted its leading Democrat after a years-long push by Democrats to flip the chamber fell short in the 2020 general elections.” (Henry Herald, 11/06/20)

• House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, D-Luthersville, was also turned out of his rural district seat southwest of Atlanta after state and national Republicans pumped millions of dollars into defeating him.
• The loss of one of their most prominent voices in Trammell marked a resounding victory for Republicans that state and national leaders trumpeted as proof a so-called “blue wave” of Democratic wins in Georgia had been halted.

Longview News-Journal: “Then there was the state House fight, where Democrats needed a net gain of nine seats to capture the majority and are staring down a net gain of zero.” (Longview News-Journal, 11/8/2020)

• “Democrats woke up Wednesday morning questioning long-held assumptions about the most consequential Texas election in a generation — the polling that had let them down, the turnout increase that didn’t seem as friendly to them as anticipated, the expectations that were raised sky-high.
• “After Texas Republicans were caught sleeping two years ago, they say it was Democrats who walked into a buzzsaw this time — a more battle-ready, unified GOP.”

Spotlight PA: “The GOP, which has controlled the Senate since 1994, scored victories for incumbents in Erie and Lancaster Counties, while also picking up a flip in the southwest part of the state, according to the Associated Press. All three seats were seen as prime targets for Democrats, who, led by Wolf, spent big in their effort to end the GOP’s reign.” (Spotlight PA, 11/05/2020)

Sandusky Register: “Local Republicans who won their races for the Ohio General Assembly helped strengthen a super majority in the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House. As a result, Republican lawmakers will be in a strong position when they have disputes with Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, including over COVID-19 rules. They’ll have the votes to override any DeWine vetoes. But they also can be helpful to DeWine when they agree with him and can pass bills regardless of what Democrats want. Republicans picked up a net gain of three seats in the Ohio House, expanding the party’s majority from 61 to 64 in the 99-member body.” (Sandusky Register, 11/05/2020)

The Kansas City Star: “Republicans emerged Wednesday well-positioned to hold on to their supermajorities in both the House and Senate, an achievement that carries long-term consequences for Kansas. The results deprive Kelly of precious leverage she would have gained if Republicans had lost the power to override her vetoes.” (The Kansas City Star, 11/05/2020)

Bridge Michigan: “Republicans are poised to return a majority to the Michigan House next term after offsetting potential losses by flipping two Democratic seats. It’s a tough blow for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who hit the campaign trail last month for Elder, Kennedy and other Democratic candidates in an attempt to break the GOP’s decade-long grip on the Michigan Legislature. Instead, Republicans will retain control of both the House and Senate for the remainder of Whitmer’s first of two possible terms, limiting her ability to advance an agenda that has been largely stymied by partisan fights and COVID-19.” (Bridge Michigan, 11/04/2020)

Arizona Central: “Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature declared victory Friday as their party’s candidates held on to leads in several competitive races for seats at the state Capitol. Despite a multimillion-dollar campaign by Democrats to flip the House of Representatives and Senate, Republicans feel increasingly assured they will maintain majorities in both chambers.” (Arizona Central, 11/7/2020)

Metro News: “As the dust settles on West Virginia’s election, Republicans are already planning how to wield their unprecedented power while Democrats are trying to map a return from the political wilderness. This is uncharted territory in West Virginia, where Democrats were dominant for most of a century. Recent GOP leanings tilted all the way toward dominance on Election Night.” (Metro News, 11/08/2020)

The State: “The South Carolina Legislature, already in GOP control with a Republican governor, became even more red overnight, sending shock waves down the spine of a party that had mounted one of its most aggressive campaigns in years to flip legislative seats.” (The State, 11/08/2020)

Townhall: “In state legislative elections, Republicans have a lot to cheer about, while Democrats gained nothing. Despite an enormous showing from Joe Biden nationally, state-level Democrats failed to flip a single state legislative chamber anywhere in the country, while Republicans padded their leads in several, and won back both houses in New Hampshire (where the Republican governor won re-election by 32 points, despite Trump losing the state by seven).” (Townhall, 11/06/2020)

Salina Post: “Democrats had hoped to crack the Republican supermajority in both chambers — thus taking away the GOP’s power to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes — but that didn’t happen.” (Salina Post, 11/08/20)

• Those dividends could be paid in the form of drawing legislative districts that will be in place for the next 10 years.”

The State: “The South Carolina Legislature, already in GOP control with a Republican governor, became even more red overnight, sending shock waves down the spine of a party that had mounted one of its most aggressive campaigns in years to flip legislative seats.” (The State, 11/08/20)

• “Nothing worked, and instead the strategy backfired, with Republicans successfully flipping Democratic seats that neither party thought was seriously in play.”

The Economic Times: Niraj Antani, a 29-year-old Republican, also created history by becoming the first Indian-American to be elected to the Ohio state Senate. (The Economic Times, 11/08/20)

• “He said that on November 3, he “had the privilege of now becoming the first Indian-American state Senator in Ohio history. Truly a privilege. So many different barriers being broken by so many different Indian-American candidates and elected officials. It’s just a privilege for me to be a part of that.”

The National Republican Redistricting Trust (NRRT) Chairman and former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker: Biggest political loser in 2020: @EricHolder His efforts to control the Redistricting process at the state level to put liberals in charge for the next decade took a big blow on Election Day. Big win for the taxpayers! (@ScottWalker via Twitter, 11/07/20)

Fox News’ Brit Hume: Getting Dems in control of state legislatures was Eric Holder’s big project. Total failure. (@BritHume via Twitter, 11/07/20)

Washington Post’s Paul Kane: Maybe the biggest bust of all for Dems Tuesday: Incredible failure in state legislatures. A very important @PoliticsReid read here.

(@pkcapitol, 11/06/20)

National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar: “This is hard to believe: Dems didn’t pick up a single state legislative chamber in 2020. Republicans, against expectations, won the New Hampshire state Senate and the Alaska state House.” (@HotlineJosh via Twitter, 11/6/2020)

Republican Strategist Kellyanne Conway: ‘A decade of power’: Statehouse wins position GOP to dominate redistricting via @politico (@KellyannePolls via Twitter 11/4/2020)

GOP Communications Director Michael Ahrens: “Instead, it’s possible Democrats end up with no new chambers, and it will be Republicans who leave 2020 with wins.” (@MichaelAhrens via Twitter, 11/5/2020)