Democrats captured full control of state government in five more states in Tuesday's midterm elections, wiping out the Republican edge in statehouses that analysts and advocates say had stood in the way of new climate and clean energy laws.
The party won trifectas, meaning the governor's office plus both legislative chambers, in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Arizona is expected to become the sixth when counting ends, which would put Democrats at 22 trifectas against 18 for Republicans, with nine states divided and Kansas still unresolved.
Before the vote, Republicans held unified control in 23 states, Democrats in 16, and 11 were split. The GOP lost its trifectas in Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas.
Democrats also took governorships away from Republicans in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. That leaves 29 Democratic governors to 19 Republicans, while the Kansas contest remains undecided and Alaska's winner may not be known for some time.
Legislative chambers moved too. Republicans entered the election holding 4,072 seats to 3,257 for Democrats, according to MultiState, a research and lobbying firm, which counted a Democratic net gain of over 350 seats on election night and expects several hundred more as tallies continue. If that holds, Democrats could control more legislative seats across the country than Republicans for the first time in over 10 years.
Where the new majorities landed
In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the governorship as Democrats flipped both chambers, taking the Senate 18-15 and the lower chamber 53-46. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro won a comfortable second term while his party claimed a 26-24 Senate majority and widened its House edge to 111-88, with four races still uncounted.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson won that state's governorship as Democrats grew their Senate majority and won the House. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was elected Minnesota governor by a wide margin, and her party turned a tied state House into a comfortable majority. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford unseated Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, while Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs easily won reelection.
Texas delivered one of the night's sharpest turns. Democrats won the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and every other statewide office on the ballot there, with Gina Hinojosa, who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, set to become governor. Roughly 7 in 10 Hispanic voters in the state backed Democrat James Talarico in the Senate race over Republican Ken Paxton.
An energy and utility agenda
Caroline Spears, executive director of the advocacy group Climate Cabinet, described the vote as an affordability election driven by inflation and high energy prices. She said new lawmakers will arrive with energy proposals, arguing that renewable power is cheaper than fossil fuels, can be built quickly and that electric vehicles cut emissions while sparing drivers from swings in gasoline and diesel prices.
Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat and longtime clean energy advocate, urged lawmakers to act on the opening and cast President Donald Trump as the election's clear loser even though he was not on the ballot.
John Farrell, co-director of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said he sees growing demand for measures to hold down utility rates. He pointed to a chance for Wisconsin to catch up with neighboring states, Minnesota majorities big enough for more ambitious policies, and Michigan residents pressing for publicly owned utilities.
We’re in a moment right now where there is enough scrutiny to make it harder for that sort of check-writing strategy to be successful,
John Farrell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Farrell said he is less concerned than in the past that utility campaign donations will blunt consumer-friendly policies, noting that voters distrust candidates seen as corporate puppets and that some candidates won without utility money. Michigan voters also approved a ballot measure barring utilities from donating to the officials who regulate them; it also covers companies holding more than $250,000 in government contracts.
