|
Moderates inherit the governor's mansionsGood day for Bush familyBy Jim Barnes/National Journal magazine(ATLANTA) -- Moderation was the message of the day in governor's races across the country Tuesday. Republican and Democratic candidates alike who campaigned as centrists and eschewed ideological partisan positions usually fared well. For instance, two Midwestern victors, Republican George Ryan in Illinois and Democrat Tom Vilsak in Iowa, both won close races and carried voters who described themselves as moderates and those who called themselves independents. In an unusual move by a Republican, Ryan campaigned as the candidate who supported stricter gun control laws and attacked his Democratic opponent, Rep. Glenn Poshard, for his past opposition to gun control legislation. Illinois voters agreed: 72 percent of the voters supported stricter gun control laws in Illinois, and Ryan carried that group, 59 percent to 40 percent. At the same time, Ryan didn't alienate gun control opponents; they backed Ryan 57 percent to 39 percent. In Iowa, Vilsak embraced the issue of more spending for education, while his Republican opponent, Jim Ross Lightfoot, thought that cutting taxes was more important. Iowa voters agreed with Vilsak: 49 percent favored more education spending, while 46 percent wanted tax cuts. Among those who backed more educational spending, 68 percent supported Vilsak. Among the tax cutters, 60 percent supported Lightfoot. Healthy economies help GOP in some statesIn other states, the strong performance of state economies tended to benefit Republicans. In Ohio, for instance, more than three-quarters of voters rated the state economy as excellent or good, and they backed Republican Secretary of State Bob Taft, who sought to replace outgoing Republican Gov. George Voinovich. Republican acting Gov. Paul Cellucci won a tough race in Massachusetts, in no small part because voters there thought the economy was doing well and they liked his support for cutting taxes further. But one place where the Republican candidate was not rewarded for the economy's performance was in California, where Democratic Lt. Gov. Gray Davis won the biggest statehouse in the nation, defeating Republican State Attorney General Dan Lungren. Although California has been run by a Republican governor for the last 16 years and most voters gave the state's economy high marks, that didn't help Lungren. For example, 69 percent of the voters in the California governor's race said that the state's economy was in good shape, but they favored Davis 55 percent to 43 percent over Lungren. And among voters who expected the state's economy to get better next year, Davis carried those voters, 64 percent to 35 percent. Davis also did well among Hispanic voters, who are still angry at outgoing Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who supported tough anti-immigration measures. Davis carried Hispanics, a growing share of the California electorate, 77 percent to 19 percent. And despite Lungren's efforts to portray Davis as too liberal for the state, Davis handily carried moderate voters, 63 percent to 34 percent. He also carried self-described independents, 54 percent to 37 percent. Bush brothers clean upFor the family of former President George Bush, the story from the statehouses was sweet indeed. Texas Republican Gov. George W. Bush won an overwhelming re-election victory. The governor, who had a track record of working with the Democrats in the state Legislature during his first term in Austin and who was endorsed by the outgoing Democratic Lt. Gov. Paul Hobby, carried moderate voters 58 percent to 42 percent over his Democratic opponent, Garry Mauro. George W. Bush also swept independents, 70 percent to 26 percent. In his victory speech Tuesday night, he said that his message of compassionate conservatism would attract voters to the Republican party who don't normally find a home there. Among Hispanic voters, he captured 47 percent, a high mark for a GOP candidate. He also carried lower working class voters, those with incomes of $15,000 to $30,000. Meanwhile, the former president's other son, Jeb Bush, captured the governorship in Florida, which eluded him four years ago when he first ran for governor. Jeb Bush carried Florida's Hispanic voters 58 percent to 42 percent. While he did not win the moderate vote in the state, he improved his showing among this group over his performance in 1994 and swept the conservative vote, 83 percent to 17 percent. Women push Ventura to winAnd in perhaps the most unusual governor's race on November 3, Reform Party candidate Jesse "The Body" Ventura captured Minnesota's statehouse over Democratic State Attorney General Hubert "Skip" Humphrey III and Republican St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman. In the three-way race, Ventura won the votes of self-described moderates with 40 percent to 32 percent for Humphrey and 27 percent for Coleman. Ventura also prevailed among independents, taking 52 percent to 28 percent for Coleman and 18 percent for Humphrey. Ventura, an ex-professional wrestler, did well among male voters, winning 38 percent, just behind the 39 percent who voted for Coleman. But it was Ventura's stronger showing among women that allowed him to prevail over Coleman: Ventura won 36 percent of the female vote, while Coleman, the runner-up in the three-way contest, took only 29 percent of the female vote. Ironically, had Ventura not run, the television network exit poll indicated that Coleman would have won Minnesota's statehouse, by about 47 percent to 39 percent over Humphrey. (Jim Barnes was an Election Night analyst for CNN.)OVERVIEW:
Offices where party control switched Dems poured big bucks into final get-out-the-vote drive Turnout approaches 38 percent Minorities see ups, downs in results Clinton happy with midterm election results How voters see Lewinsky scandal SENATE RACES:
Schumer topples D'Amato in New York Senate race Edwards unseats Faircloth in tight North Carolina race Moseley-Braun loses to Republican Fitzgerald Democratic Boxer wins fight for Senate seat Washington's Murray heads back to the Senate Incumbent Hollings wins close race in South Carolina Bunning ekes out win against Baesler Reid defends Democratic Senate seat in Nevada Coverdell outdistances Democratic Senate opponent Campbell wins Colorado Lincoln defeats Boozman, Dems retain Arkansas Senate seat Gov. Voinovich wins Senate race in Ohio, defeats Democrat Boyle Democrat Bayh easily defeats Helmke in Indiana Analysis: Moderation sweeps the Senate HOUSE RACES:
Democrat Inslee bests incumbent White for Washington House seat Affair doesn't dampen support for Idaho's Chenoweth Democrats hold on to Colorado's 2nd district Sanchez trumps Dornan again in California House race Udall wins Redmond's New Mexico House seat Tradeoff in the bluegrass: Parties switch Kentucky House seats Familiar faces still around the House Baldwin breaks barrier, becomes first openly lesbian House member Second time the charm for Hoeffel in Pennsylvania House race Berkley takes Las Vegas House seat for Democrats Open Mississippi House seat goes to Democrat Shows House leader Bonior fends off GOP challenge in Michigan Snowbarger's Kansas district picked up by Democrat Moore Green pulls Republican upset in Wisconsin Simpson keeps Idaho's 2nd district in GOP hands Toomey takes Pennsylvania's 15th District for GOP Democrats to make historic gains in House Republican Sherwood wins open seat in Pennsylvania's 10th House district Hawaii rehires Abercrombie in House race Swing Connecticut district chooses Democrat Maloney again Republican Ryan beats Spottswood in Wisconsin's 1st district Illinois Rep. Evans bests Baker in closely watched contest Republican Baker fends off tough challenge in Louisiana House race Iowa's Boswell fends off Republican n House race Chabot holds off Democratic challenge Strickland retains Ohio's 6th district Bellwether Kentucky, Indiana House races split GOVERNORS' RACES:
Owens first GOP Colorado governor in more than two decades Moderates inherit the governor's mansions Former wrestler takes stunning win in Minnesota Guinn edges Democrat rival to pick up Nevada Knowles wins rare 2nd term in Alaska GOP Geringer keeps Wyoming Easy victory for Oregon Gov. Kitzhaber Ryan picks up Illinois governorship Democrat Davis wins heralded California governorship Cellucci stays as Massachusetts governor Conservative Johanns wins Nebraska governorship Gov. Ridge wins big in Pennsylvania Kempthorne wins landslide in Idaho Democrat wins Iowa for first time in 30 years Thompson wins record 4th term in Wisconsin Taft wins close governor race in Ohio Keating remains Oklahoma governor GOP Gov. Janklow keeps South Dakota seat New Mexico Gov. Johnson retains post GOP Gov. Almond keeps Rhode Island seat Gov. Engler easily wins re-election in Michigan Barnes edges GOP rival for Georgia's top spot Gov. Huckabee wins re-election in Arkansas Arizona GOP Hull stays in office Independent King keeps Maine seat Kansas Gov. Graves easily wins re-election Rowland wins re-election in Connecticut Glendening retains office in Maryland Siegelmen unseats incumbent James in Alabama Sundquist stays as Tennessee governor Texas Gov. George W. Bush wins in landslide Hodges wins South Carolina governor race Dean easily keeps Vermont governor seat Jeb Bush wins big in Florida Democrat Shaheen retains New Hampshire seat, gets third of GOP vote BALLOT RACES:
Prop. 3 failure places California presidential primary in limbo Medical marijuana popular at polls Anti-affirmative action ballot measure Washington state voters tie minimum wage to inflation California OKs Indian gambling expansion South Carolina removes ban on interracial marriage Michigan voters soundly reject physician-assisted suicide Plan to boost Calif. cigarette tax too close to call |