GOPers Look To Reshape State Governments After 2024 Victories

While the political world’s eyes are focused on Republicans winning trifecta control of the federal government for the first time since 2017, the GOP had many other major victories last week that deserve attention as well.

Throughout the country, Republicans scored significant wins in state legislative races imperative to implementing a conservative agenda moving forward.

In Arizona, Republicans are on track to maintain their majorities in the state House and Senate, preliminary election results from the New York Times suggest. Republicans could potentially expand their majorities in both chambers as well. The outcome marks a huge defeat for leftists, who spent millions of dollars to flip or “reach ties” in state legislatures including in Arizona, as The Federalist previously reported, where a slim GOP legislative majority separates the state from a Democrat trifecta takeover.

In South Carolina, unofficial results indicate Republicans won a veto-proof supermajority in the state Senate and held onto their supermajority in the state House of Representatives. Similar trends are also reflected in Iowa’s preliminary results, which show the state GOP is already projected to expand its majority in the state House.

In New Hampshire, Republicans are on track to maintain trifecta control of state government, according to early results. The GOP is projected to win the governor’s mansion and a supermajority in the Senate and could also expand its majority in the House compared to 2022 results.

Despite efforts by Kansas Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly and Democrats to take down Republican legislative candidates this cycle, the Kansas GOP is not only projected to maintain its House and Senate supermajorities but is on track to grow them, preliminary results suggest. State Republicans have previously used their supermajorities to override Kelly’s vetoes on critical bills approved by the legislature, including one making it a felony for individuals to coerce pregnant women into getting abortions, as The Kansas City Star reported earlier this year.

In Michigan, Republicans are projected to take back the state House of Representatives after losing the chamber during the 2022 midterms. The GOP’s victories disintegrate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democrats’ trifecta control, providing the party with a buffer to prevent Michigan leftists from enshrining their radical policies into law.

Michigan Democrats’ defeats haven’t stopped them from attempting to use their final weeks in power to further their agenda, however. As my colleague Logan Washburn recently reported, the leftist party is seeking to pass legislation that would bind Michigan’s electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in presidential elections.

Republicans’ positive gains were also noticeable in Minnesota, the home state of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz — Vice President Harris’ running mate this cycle. According to local media, preliminary results show the state GOP breaking Democrats’ trifecta by splitting control of the state House, 67-67. Two of the races are headed for recounts, according to the local outlet, meaning a change in the outcome of one of the contests could tip the chamber to one party or the other.

In Pennsylvania, the Keystone State GOP is projected to hold its majority in the Senate. Republicans did, however, come up short in their effort to reclaim the House of Representatives, where Democrats seemingly held onto their one-seat majority, according to preliminary results.

Republicans also experienced success in states in which Democrats maintained their legislative majorities.

As previously noted in the Las Vegas Sun, Nevada Republicans appear to be “on track to stave off a Democratic voting supermajority in the Nevada Assembly to protect Gov. Joe Lombardo’s veto power.” The outlet noted how the Republican governor vetoed 75 bills during last year’s legislative session.

Vermont Republicans apparently gained enough seats to break Democrats’ supermajorities in the state House and Senate, as a local NBC affiliate reported last week. Democrats previously used these supermajorities to override vetoes by liberal Republican Gov. Phil Scott. Last year, for example, the Democrat-controlled legislature approved an amendment adopted by the City of Burlington allowing illegal aliens to vote in local elections. Scott vetoed the measure but was subsequently overridden by the legislature.

Last week’s elections did come with some setbacks for conservatives, however.

While Republicans are projected to hold majorities in the Wisconsin Legislature, they are on track to lose their supermajority in the state Senate. The expected results come after the state instituted Democrat-friendly redistricted maps for state races earlier this year. The state’s leftist-controlled supreme court shot down maps submitted by the GOP-led legislature last year.

A similar trend also occurred in North Carolina, where Republicans are on track to maintain their legislative majorities but lose their supermajority in the state House by one seat, according to reports. The loss could prove consequential given Democrat Josh Stein’s victory in the state’s gubernatorial race against Republican Mark Robinson.

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood