Republicans Have Long Dominated State Government Elections, But That Could Change In 2020

There are more elections worth paying attention to than just the ones for the White House and control of Congress. Control of state governments is at stake, too. When one party controls the governor’s office, state Senate and state House in a given state, it can pass landmark legislation that often goes further than federal legislation does (think abortion restrictions for Republicans or expansions of voting rights for Democrats).

During the Obama administration, Republicans dominated state-level elections, but this year Democrats have the chance to dig themselves out of that hole and take control of more state governments than Republicans. Specifically, the party could take full control of Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, and it could also break up Republicans’ monopoly on power in Arizona, Iowa, Missouri and Texas.

But Republicans have some opportunities too. The GOP could seize full power in Alaska, Montana, New Hampshire and North Carolina, and it has an outside shot of ending Democratic control of Maine. For full details on which legislative and gubernatorial races will be decisive, check out my article from October.