Election 2010: Democrat losses ran wide and deep - from coast to coast

From Politico this wrap up of the 2010 midterm election is damming for the Democratic Party.  Far from being a regional loss their losses were across the board.  The Democrat message was repudiated from coast to coast in dozens of "blue" states.  Very interesting:


Republicans have already gained as many as 60 seats in Congress, but when GOP gains are looked at on a state-by-state basis, the bloody picture for Democrats nationwide becomes even more gruesome. Several state legislatures made historic transitions to Republican hands — some for the first time since the 19th century — and nearly an entire generation of state Democrats saw its ranks obliterated. Here is POLITICO’s look at states that saw the political landscape change dramatically.

• Alabama’s most monumental shift came in the state Legislature, in which Republicans gained control of both the House and the Senate for the first time since 1874. State Sen. Robert Bentley’s win kept the governor’s mansion in GOP hands, and Republicans picked up a net of seven seats in the Senate and 19 seats in the House. In the state’s most contested U.S. House seat, Martha Roby defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright.

• Wisconsin was painted red as Ron Johnson defeated Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, Republican Scott Walker won the open governor’s race and two House seats flipped: Republican Sean Duffy won the seat of retiring Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, and roofing contractor Reid Ribble defeated Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen. But perhaps the Republicans’ most historic victory was gaining control of the state Assembly and the Senate — marking the first time the GOP has had total control of the state government since 1998 and the first time one party won control of both houses on the same day since 1938.

• Indiana’s congressional delegation saw a Democratic slaughter that gives the GOP a 2-1 edge. Rep. Baron Hill lost to Republican Todd Young, and Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth not only suffered a landslide loss to Republican Dan Coats in the Senate race; his congressional seat flipped to the GOP as well. Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly was able to hold on — but barely. Republicans won full control of the Legislature, as well, gaining control of the House and expanding their margin in the Senate for their biggest gains in more than 25 years.

• Ohio Republicans aren’t just happy that one of their own is poised to become the next speaker of the House; they also defeated an incumbent governor for just the third time in state history and handily held onto their open U.S. Senate seat. Five congressional Democrats went down in flames, giving the GOP a 13-5 edge in the Buckeye State’s D.C. delegation. In the state House, Republicans gained at least 12 seats and added two seats in the state Senate, giving them their largest majority there since 1967.

• Colorado saw freshman Democratic Rep. Betsy Markey and three-term Rep. John Salazar go down to their GOP challengers, but bright spots for Democrats were wins in the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial contests. Democrats held onto the state Senate, but Republicans won back a narrow majority in the state House after a six-year drought.

• Maine’s governorship flipped to the Republican column, with Paul LePage edging out independent Eliot Cutler in the multicandidate race to give the GOP the post for the first time since 1995. In the Legislature, both chambers reverted to Republican hands — the first time in 36 years that the GOP will control the state House and the first time in 14 years that it will control the state Senate.

• When all is said and done, New York may have lost more Democratic congressmen than any other state. At least four Democrats have already lost, and with Democrats trailing in both the 1st and 25th districts, the Empire State could lose as many as six Democrats. Several state legislative races are undecided, as well, but Republicans have already made gains in the chaotic Albany body.

• In Texas, Republican Gov. Rick Perry solidified his place in Lone Star State history, winning a record third term. Republicans knocked off Democratic incumbents — Chet Edwards and Ciro Rodriguez — in two conservative districts, and they could pick up a third seat they hadn’t targeted until late, as Blake Farenthold leads Democratic Rep. Solomon Ortiz by almost 800 votes. With gains in the Legislature giving Republicans the largest majority for either party since 1984 — a net win of 22 seats in the state House — the GOP is squarely in the driver’s seat going into 2012 redistricting, in which it’s poised to pick up at least four additional U.S. House seats.

• Tennessee went from purple to a solid red. In addition to Bill Haslam winning the open governorship, Republicans picked up three U.S. House seats — winning two open Democratic seats and knocking off Rep. Lincoln Davis to give them a 7-2 advantage on Capitol Hill. In the state House, the GOP picked up 14 seats to expand its majority to a 64-34 advantage. In the state Senate, it gained one seat for a 20-13 lead.

• Alaska Republicans retained both the governorship and their lone House seat. While the outcome of the contentious Senate race still hangs in limbo, it’s certain that it will be held by a Republican, because both Lisa Murkowski and Joe Miller would caucus with the GOP. In the state Legislature, Republicans picked up two House seats, but the state Senate remains evenly split, with 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

• In Arizona, Republicans added two House seats to their column, with Paul Gosar besting freshman Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Dave Schweikert proving victorious in his repeat race against two-term Democratic Rep. Harry Mitchell. Still, the carnage could have been worse, as Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Gifford eked out wins. Buoyed by the popularity of the state’s stringent immigration bill, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer won a full term — something that seemed like a long shot early this year. And Sen. John McCain had no problem winning reelection. Down ballot, Republicans are poised to make slight gains in both legislative chambers — picking up at least two House seats and one state Senate seat.

• In South Carolina, Republicans finally picked off the one GOP-leaning House district that had eluded them year after year, as state Sen. Mick Mulvaney defeated House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, leaving Rep. Jim Clyburn as the state’s lone Democrat in Congress. State Rep. Nikki Haley’s win in the governor’s race kept the seat in GOP hands, and Sen. Jim DeMint easily won a second term. Republicans also expanded their influence in Columbia, picking up three seats in the state House, giving them a 75-48 edge, and holding a 27-19 advantage in the state Senate.

• North Carolina’s Legislature is under GOP control for the first time in more than a century. Republicans picked up 15 seats in the state House and gained 11 in the state Senate. Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue wasn’t on the ballot, but Republican Sen. Richard Burr easily dispatched his challenger, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. In congressional races, Republicans had hoped to defeat freshman Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell, but he prevailed. Their lone pickup will likely come in the Raleigh-area 2nd District, in which Republican Renee Ellmers holds a 2,000-vote edge over Rep. Bob Etheridge, although the Democrat has requested a recount.

• New Hampshire saw both of its congressional districts flip back to the GOP thanks to victories by former Rep. Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta’s defeat of Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. Kelly Ayotte easily posted a win in her Senate race, but perhaps the most amazing gains were in the Legislature. Republicans gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers — 297 of 400 seats in the state House, the most since 1984, and 19 of 24 Senate seats, the most since 1962.

• Montana didn’t have much top-of-the-ticket action, but the shift statewide was historic: For the first time since 1953, Republicans gained control of both legislative chambers, to hold 67 of 100 House seats and 31 of 50 Senate seats.

• South Dakota saw once-promising Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin fall to GOP rising star Kristi Noem. No Democrat could muster enough courage to challenge Sen. John Thune, and GOP Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard easily succeeded fellow Republican Mike Rounds. Just six Democrats are left in the 35-member state Senate, and Republicans hold 51 of the 70 state House seats.

• Michigan Republican Rick Snyder rolled to a gubernatorial win, benefiting from term-limited Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s unpopularity. Republicans also took over two Democratic House seats, defeating Rep. Mark Schauer and winning retiring Rep. Bart Stupak’s seat in the 1st District. The GOP consolidated its power in the Legislature, gaining control of the House by picking up more than 20 seats, and increasing its majority in the Senate by four.

• After the GOP wave hit Pennsylvania, Democrats lost their open gubernatorial and Senate seats, saw four Democratic congressmen go down and lost an open seat they once held. Republicans regained control of the state House, which they lost four years ago, but Democrats held onto the state Senate.

• The Illinois Senate race was among the crown jewels of GOP national gains, as Rep. Mark Kirk won President Barack Obama’s former seat. Republicans also picked up at least three House seats — with Bobby Schilling, Randy Hultgren and Adam Kinzinger posting wins over Democratic incumbents. Rep. Melissa Bean could also soon be in that column — she trails GOP challenger Joe Walsh by 553 votes. A bright spot for Democrats: Gov. Pat Quinn, widely expected to lose to Republican Bill Brady, won election to a full term. Plus, while Republicans picked up six state House seats and two state Senate seats, Democrats retained their majorities.

• Idaho Republican Raul Labrador, though not his party’s first choice in the primary, beat Rep. Walt Minnick, despite the freshman Democrat’s best efforts to tout his conservative voting record. GOP Gov. Butch Otter and Sen. Mike Crapo easily won reelection, and Republicans expanded their majority in the state House.

• Iowa wasn’t the bloodbath for the Democrats it could have been: The state’s Democratic trio of congressmen were heavily targeted by Republicans, but all three managed to survive. Democratic Gov. Chet Culver’s luck wasn’t as good; he was defeated by former Gov. Terry Branstad. And on the state level, Republicans won back the state House, having lost it in 2006, and made gains in the state Senate.

• Florida Republicans swept statewide offices, with Marco Rubio winning a Senate seat and Rick Scott the governorship. Four congressional Democratic incumbents went down in defeat, and Republicans made gains in the state House and Senate.

• After Kansas Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson chose not to run after inheriting the job from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Sam Brownback easily won the governor’s race, and Rep. Jerry Moran easily won Brownback’s vacant Senate seat. With the state’s lone congressional Democrat, Dennis Moore, retiring, his wife, Stephene, was unable to hold onto his seat. Kevin Yoder’s win gives the state an all-GOP delegation in Washington. Republicans also picked up 16 seats in the state House.

• Oklahoma ushered in a Republican governor and expanded GOP leads in both state legislative chambers. But the GOP was still unable to knock off the state’s lone Democratic congressman, Blue Dog Dan Boren.