Election 2006: the Good
Posted on Nov 7, 2006
In case you missed it, here are some of the exciting developments from Tuesday’s elections:
Senate Races
As of 7:30 a.m. EST, control of the Senate still hangs on Virginia and Montana, but the results look a lot better for the Democrats than many expected, thanks to some well-fought (and close) races.
McCaskill (D) beat out Talent (R) in Missouri’s nail-biter, bringing the Dems that much closer to control of the Senate.
Ben Cardin won out against Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, holding the seat for Democrats.
Potentially winning control of the Senate came at some cost for the Democrats, who successfully ousted one of the more moderate voices from across the aisle when Sheldon Whitehouse (D) unseated Lincoln Chafee (R).
Sherrod Brown’s race against incumbent Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) was one of the more memorable and hard-fought campaigns, and it paid off in the end.
Pennsylvania: Casey’s victory over Rick Santorum was a loss not only for the Republican Party but the politics of polarization and reactionary conservatism.
Bernie Sanders’ win in Vermont was good news for Democrats. Although Sanders is listed as an Independent, he will be the Senate’s only socialist and is expected to caucus with the Dems.
House Races
The Democrats snagged control of the House, picking up at least 28 seats in the process.
Milestone: Nancy Pelosi is expected to be the first woman speaker of the House in our nation’s history.
What a difference a DeLay makes. Corruption was a major issue for the Democrats leading up to the midterms, probably nowhere more so than in disgraced former Rep. Tom DeLay’s Texas district. Democrat Nick Lampson took the seat with a margin of 14 points. Bob Ney and Mark Foley’s seats also went Blue, giving the Dems the triple crown of corrupt-politician pickups.
John Ellsworth kicked off the night with a big win in Indiana.
Ballot Issues
South Dakotans said no on a referendum backing the state legislature’s near total ban on abortion.
Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio decided to raise the minimum wage.
The Missouri stem cell research initiative that caused such an uproar in the media was approved by voters.
Governors
The Dems added six governors to their ranks, giving the party a national majority with 28.
Statehouses
Democrats made major gains in state legislatures around the country, giving the party a boost when it comes to redistricting—a crucial issue now that the Supreme Court has empowered statehouses to redistrict without waiting for census data.
Illustration: Karen Spector / Truthdig
