[craig nigrelli]
VOTERS IN 11 STATES ALSO CHOSE THEIR NEXT GOVERNORS — AND WHILE REPUBLICANS WON BIG, DEMOCRATS DID MANAGE TO FLIP TWO STATES.
NORTH CAROLINA TURNED BLUE AFTER THE STATE’S DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEY GENERAL, JOSH STEIN, BEAT OUT CONTROVERSIAL REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MARK ROBINSON.
ROBINSON — WHO MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN NORTH CAROLINA — WAS ALREADY TRAILING IN THE POLLS, BUT HIS NUMBERS TOOK A DIVE IN MID-SEPTEMBER AFTER C-N-N RELEASED A REPORT DETAILING COMMENTS HE ALLEGEDLY MADE ON A PORNOGRAPHY WEBSITE MESSAGE BOARD MORE THAN A DECADE AGO ON RACE, GENDER AND ABORTION.
WASHINGTON STATE WILL STAY BLUE — AFTER ATTORNEY GENERAL BOB FERGUSON BEAT OUT REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER DAVE REICHERT FOR THE JOB.
THE SEAT WAS UP FOR GRABS AFTER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE SAID HE WOULD NOT BE RUNNING AGAIN AFTER SERVING THREE TERMS.
INDIANA WENT FROM BLUE TO RED — WITH REPUBLICAN MIKE BRAUN DEFEATING DEMOCRAT JENNIFER MCCORMICK.
MCCORMICK IS A FORMER REPUBLICAN WHO SPLIT WITH THE PARTY AFTER SERVING AS THE STATE’S SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT.
MEANWHILE REPUBLICAN MISSOURI REMAINS RED — LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MIKE KEHOE SET TO REPLACE TERM-LIMITED GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON.
NORTH DAKOTA STAYED RED, AS WELL — WITH KELLY ARMSTRONG PROJECTED TO succeed GOVERNOR DOUG BERGUM, WHO ALSO CHOSE NOT TO RUN AGAIN AFTER SERVING THREE TERMS. It is possible that Bergum gets a place in the Trump administration.
LOOKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, REPUBLICANS HAVE GOVERNORS IN 27 STATES; DEMOCRATS 23.