Election Day 2007

...some contests are worth watching.

Kentucky and Mississippi both have gubernatorial battles. There are state legislative contests in Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia. And a host of cities across the nation -- including Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco, California -- will see mayoral elections.

In Kentucky, the incumbent governor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, is up against Democrat Steve Beshear, a former lieutenant governor.

Fletcher has a tough fight ahead, according to nonpartisan political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, editor of The Rothenberg Political Report.

Fletcher was involved in a hiring scandal, and even though the charges were dropped, the governor is on "political life support," Rothenberg said.

In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour is up for re-election. Barbour won the governorship four years ago by knocking off the Democratic incumbent, Ronnie Musgrove.

"Mississippi voters have thrown out two of the last three governors after one term [both Democrats], but there is still little evidence that Barbour is in immediate danger," Rothenberg said.


Barbour's opponent, attorney John Arthur Eaves, is running as a conservative evangelical Democrat. Eaves has said that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, and he's in favor of setting aside 20 minutes a day at school for voluntary prayer or faith discussion.

In Virginia, Democrats have a shot at winning back the state Senate and making gains in the state House of Delegates.

Virginia was a once solidly red state, but Democrats have won some major statewide elections this decade, with Mark Warner coming out on top in the 2001 gubernatorial election, Tim Kaine taking the 2005 race to succeed Warner and Jim Webb edging out incumbent U.S. Sen. George Allen last year.

Northern Virginia has played a major role in these Democratic wins. As the Virginia suburbs of Washington have exploded population-wise, politically they have moved from mostly red to mostly blue.

But one issue could halt this Democratic tide -- the bitter battle over illegal immigration. Republican candidates in Virginia are promising to take a hard line against illegal immigrants, including blocking them from receiving public services.

In Massachusetts, a GOP candidate in last month's special congressional election made battling illegal immigration a top issue. The Republican lost the contest but did much better than expected against the heavily favored Democrat.

It appears the immigration issue is picking up steam across the country, which could help Republicans keep control of the General Assembly in Virginia.

The races in Virginia could set the tone for next year's crucial battle for the seat of Republican Sen. John Warner, who is retiring.

But there may be wider implications. A good day for Republicans also could indicate just how much the immigration issue will be a factor in the fight for control of Congress. But a good one for Democrats would signal that Virginia could be in play in the race for the White House for the first time in four decades.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/06/election.day/index.html

 

Not to worry rim --

Kentucky results

Precincts Complete: 47.6%
Beshear D 305,316 60.3%
Fletcher R 202,019 39.7%

http://electionresults.ky.gov/KyEle...RNOR&RV=0&DV=2840898&TP=3543&TC=120&AR=1&RF=0

 

link please?

 

A good night for Democrats --

Kentucky: The biggest news of the night was in the Bluegrass State where former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear (D) crushed Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) 59 percent to 41 percent. Fletcher had long been seen as a dead man walking politically; ethics problems in his first four years in office had badly hamstrung his reelection chances. Beshear restores Democratic control to the Kentucky governorship, an office that the party has held for all but four years since 1967. Elsewhere on the ballot, state Auditor Crit Luallen (D) was reelected with 59 percent, a margin sure to stoke speculation of a challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) in 2008.

Virginia: Republicans appear to have lost control of the state Senate, as at least three Republican incumbents and a GOP-held open seat have gone to Democrats. The race we were watching most closely -- the 34th district battle between state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R) and Chap Peterson (D) -- turned into a rout, with the Democrat unseating the incumbent 56 percent to 44 percent. Democrats' gains are yet more evidence of the rapidly shifting demographics in the Commonwealth. Sen. Mark Warner (D) anyone? (Full Va. results.)

Ohio: The 5th District special election is going down to the wire on the Republican side. With roughly half of the vote counted, state Rep. Bob Latta (R) leads state Sen. Steve Buehrer (R) by 1,400 votes. Robin Weirach will be the Democratic nominee.

Mississippi: No surprises. Gov. Haley Barbour (R) easily won reelection.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/11/the_results_are_still_coming_i.html

 

nice

here's another article about Democratic gains...

The Republican Party's Worst Nightmare -- The GOP Is Losing Western Support

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Vote2008/story?id=3826860&page=1