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Voters Face Bigger Decision Than Bush vs. Kerry in 2004 Elections

The Christian Science Monitor reported on March 30 that 25 states have legislative chambers that could change majorities by picking up or losing three seats or less.

This has huge implications because a change in a majority redistributes power through committee assignments and leadership positions. As government affairs professionals know all too well, leadership has the power to decide which legislation gets heard and which is virtually dead on arrival.

Experts say that the contest for party control over state legislatures is more intense than at any point in recent history.

In North Carolina, for example, the House is split 60-60, with a unique power-sharing arrangement that allows for both a Republican and Democratic speaker of the House.

Paul Wilms, director of government affairs for the North Carolina Home Builders Association, says that the 2004 election could easily result in another House tie. However, this means less for the building industry in his state, he said, because his group works closely with both parties and most legislators in his state are “pro-business.”

The story also reports:

• Of the more than 7,000 state legislative seats in the country, Republicans hold a 60-seat advantage.
• The 2002 election gave the GOP control of a majority of U.S. legislative seats for the first time in 50 years. The election this fall will determine whether that pattern continues.
• In Maine and Colorado, a change of just one seat could change longtime party dominance of the legislative and executive branches.

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