Can Democrats Ever Win Back State Legislatures?

[applegrove]

Can Democrats Ever Win Back State Legislatures?

BY EMMA ROLLER at the National Journal

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/can-democrats-ever-win-back-state-legislatures-20150224

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The group projects it will spend $70 million on state-level races over the next five years and plans to focus its efforts on six states: Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Those states, which draw the lines for 94 congressional seats, are all Republican-controlled at the state level, yet all favored President Obama over Mitt Romney in 2012.

This is where the DLCC sees room for movement.

"These are battleground states that are very important to the DLCC and have huge national implications," Schauer told National Journal. "Make no mistake: It is about winning and building upon the DLCC's track record of doing that."

Today, Republicans control 69 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers (every state has two chambers except for Nebraska). That's nearly 70 percent of the total. So, how feasible is it for Democrats to regain the seats they lost, in districts that (they argue) have been tailor-drawn for Republicans' benefit? There are a lot of factors to consider.

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[octoberlib]

1. If it wasn't for gerrymandering, Democrats in NC

would have won back the legislature in 2012.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Sure!

Morons need to stop voting against theier best interests. They haven't figured this out....yet. When they do, look out, change is gonna happen.

[napi21]

3. All of them? NO!!! Some of them, absolutely!

Pennsylvania I can speak to because I was born there and relocated when I was 44. Pa. is similar to most States with large cities. The rural areas are all Pubbies, and the cities are Dem. Philly and Pgh. are Dem at heart, and over the years switch to a Pub, but always go back to a Dem.

I suspect a similar situation exists in the other States you mentioned.

I'm hoping that Wisconsin is waking up to what Walker really did to them, and they'll correct the problem the next time they have the chance.

The only one I'm really concerned about is Fla. There are a LOT of retirees in that State, and mor some reason they always lean toward the Pubbies. To offset them, there are a lot of latinos who mostly lean Dem. A lot of them have already or are becoming old enough to vote. We need to put a lot of boots on the ground to get them registered AND to VOTE!