The Nov. 6 election left more than two-thirds of states under single-party control beginning in January, with one party holding the governor’s office and majorities in both legislative chambers.
The single-party control in at least 37 states means bold partisan agendas will likely grow over the next couple of years, and indicates voters are no longer interested in compromise even though President Barack Obama and Republicans have signaled a greater willingness to reach across the aisle, reports
The New York Times.
Overall, Republicans will control 24 states. These include Alaska and Wisconsin, where Republicans won the state Senate, and North Carolina, which went Republican.
Another 13 states will be Democratic. Legislatures in Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon, switched to Democratic majorities. In California, Democrats solidified their hold by winning a supermajority.
The situation in New York, where the potential for single-party control by the Democrats rests on the makeup of the Senate, is still uncertain. This leaves a government split between the parties in only 12 states, the lowest since 1952, Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures, told the Times.
According to the Times, politicians will likely come to realize that one-party control means there’s not as much room to spread around blame, meaning voters could retaliate and switch party control in the next election.
For example, Maine Republicans took control over the capital two years ago, but Democrats took back both chambers of the legislature in November. The switch was blamed on Republican Gov. Paul LePage and other Republicans sharply opposing Obamacare and cutting the number of people eligible for Medicaid.
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