State Legislatures 1993-2017

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Will Kentucky Democrats be able to stop the hemorrhaging once President Obama leaves office, or are there deeper forces at work that will likely doom them ultimately to minority status like their counterparts in Arkansas and West Virginia -regardless of who is elected President next year?

And I am open to answers from anyone other than the one-note Bandit.... 

Kentucky isn't rural enough or Southern enough for the Republicans to win more support - especially since the Kentucky GOP is more extreme than other state GOP's.

The time for the GOP to win the Kentucky House was 2010 or 2014. That ship has sailed.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Even though in theory the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature is non-partisan, in practice each member does have a partisan affliction.  Right now it is something like 35-14 in favor of GOP which for the entire 1992-2014 period I believe the GOP has a majority the entire time.  So Nebraska should really be colored blue the entire period in my view.

The nonpartisan aspect of the Nebraska legislature has basically become a sham. They've tried to do some very partisan things in recent years, such as abolishing the split electoral vote system. But it might be even worse if legislators were elected on a partisan ballot like most states.

So I wouldn't mind seeing other states switch to a nonpartisan ballot, because that might actually improve their terrible legislatures.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

It really is interesting how modest Dem gains of state legislative chambers were during 2006-08 vs. GOP gains during 1994, 2002, and 2010.  Downballot Dem problems are significantly older than Obama.

I think a lot of the problem is that there's a double standard. Republican candidates with absolutely NO experience with anything in life - politics, public service, law, farming, or anything - are promoted endlessly by The Media, while Democrats and others are shrugged off no matter how accomplished they are.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I remember looking at a reference book around 1985 and noticing that most state legislatures were Democratic. But the most Democratic states were also the most conservative states. I think some states in the Deep South had all-Democratic legislatures.

Back then, the most Democratic state that wasn't part of the Confederacy was probably West Virginia.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Now that it is clear that Kentucky is Republicanizing at the state and local levels now, how soon will it be before Republicans claim the whole legislature, particularly the House?

I would have said quicker than I thought before, but then I realized Donald Trump is basically the leader of the Republican Party now.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

They'll take it next time its up unless Bevin does something too crazy.

He's done enough crazy stuff already, but that doesn't necessarily stop the GOP.

Remember, they've got the media.