|
 irginia
Republicans lost the election for governor yesterday, but they made
incredible gains in the House of Delegates. By picking up 12 seats
in the 100-seat chamber, they gained what the Washington Post this
morning calls "the power to block almost any legislative initiative
from Gov.-elect Mark R. Warner (D)."
Before the
election, Republicans controlled 52 seats and had an operating majority
of 53 because of an independent who votes with them. In January,
they will control 64 seats and function as a majority of 65.
To put this
in perspective, consider: If the House of Delegates were the size
of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republicans would have
gained 52 seats (roughly the number of representatives the Republicans
gained in 1994).
Democrats have
plenty to celebrate. Winning the governorship in Virginia for them
is no small accomplishment. Warner ran a smart campaign as a conservative
Democrat. His success trickled down to the race for lieutenant governor,
where Democrat Timothy Kaine narrowly defeated Jay Katzen. But it
went no further. In the only other statewide race, Republican Jerry
Kilgore trounced Donald McEachin for attorney general by a 20-point
margin. And then there was that astonishing GOP performance in the
House of Delegates.
Which is even
more significant than it sounds: Since 1998, Republicans and Democrats
have shared power in the House of Delegates in an arrangement requiring
dual committee chairmanships if neither party has a majority of
at least 55 seats. The GOP is now obviously well beyond that mark.
Warner may
live in the governor's mansion for the next four years, but it's
hard not to think a tectonic shift has occurred in Virginia politics.
Republicans could keep this House of Delegates majority for a decade,
perhaps even a generation.
Kicking Schundler When He's Down
The National Republican Congressional Committee put out its analysis
of the elections, mainly focused on how they don't foreshadow the
2002 congressional elections. It makes some good points. But here's
its analysis of the New Jersey gubernatorial race: "The acting
Governor failed to endorse the Republican candidate, and the Schundler
campaign failed to unite the Republican Party. It also did not help
that Schundler campaigned on a platform that was out of touch with
NJ voters." The first sentence is accurate. The second sentence
might better be recast as, "It also did not help that too many
Republican leaders bought the spin of the McGreevey campaign."
|
