Democratic Losses in States Could Hurt for Decades

Amy Walter: “Today, about 55 percent of all state legislative seats in the country are held by Republicans. That’s the largest share of GOP state legislators since the 1920s. Just 11 states have an all Democratic-controlled legislature, while Republicans have a legislative majority in 30 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Before the 2014 election, Democrats had single-party control (legislature and governor) in 15 states. Post-2014, that number is down to seven.”

“With legislative control comes redistricting control… One smart Democratic strategist who tracks legislative campaigns is worried that Democrats are going to have a hard time winning state legislative control in those states before the next round of redistricting in 2020.”