The Republican wave swept into the statehouses this week, as at least 10 states previously led by Democratic governors flipped to the GOP column. Republicans, who will hold at least 29 of the 50 governors’ seats, had strong gains in the economically battered Midwest, including the key presidential battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. With the once-per-decade process of redistricting due to take place next year, the GOP now has a chance to redraw states’ electoral maps to favor Republicans in 2012 and beyond.
One of the most stinging defeats for Democrats came in the presidential swing state of Ohio, where former Republican Congressman John Kasich narrowly beat incumbent Ted Strickland, despite strenuous campaigning by President Obama. In Florida, another swing state, Republican Rick Scott narrowly defeated Democrat Alex Sink. But Democrats won governors’ races in three large states: California, where former Gov. Jerry Brown beat former eBay CEO Meg Whitman; Illinois, where incumbent Pat Quinn appears to have edged state Sen. Bill Brady; and New York, where Andrew Cuomo crushed Tea Party favorite Carl Paladino.
Kasich and his fellow Republican governors-elect can’t celebrate long, said Joe Hallett and Mark Niquette in the Columbus, Ohio, Dispatch. Like his counterparts in other states, Kasich will face a “dire budget scenario” when he’s sworn in, making the state’s highest office “a perilous prize” indeed.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, by capturing so many governorships in a redistricting year, the Republican have advanced their plan “to dominate the House for much longer than the next few years,” said Nick Baumann in MotherJones.com. “That’s a prospect that has national Democrats very worried.” Their biggest worry might be Florida—the state that decided the 2000 presidential election—said Kyle Peterson in National Review Online. “The deeply divided state had historically been jointly held territory,” but this year’s results make it “all red, all the time.”
Can Jerry Brown, back for a third term, be a role model for humbled Democrats? asked an editorial in The Sacramento Bee. Campaigning on a message of “moderation and humility,” he promised “to restore public confidence in a state government that has squandered it.” That’s a tall order for any politician, let alone one with Brown’s history of divisive governing.
-
The final fate of Flight 370feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.