Gubernatorial elections retain power for incumbents, women gain more seats
Thirty-six states held gubernatorial contests in Tuesday’s (Nov. 8) mid-term elections. By the end of the night and as of this writing Thursday morning, winners in 32 states had been chosen, with votes still being tallied in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.
Voters in 27 states re-elected the incumbent; while in eight states (Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Oregon), voters chose a new governor to replace a term-limited incumbent. In two states, Connecticut and Georgia, the incumbent governor successfully faced a re-match with their 2018 opponents; while in Alaska and Maine, the incumbent faced and defeated his/her predecessor. Meanwhile, until this election, voters in Michigan and Wisconsin have not elected a governor of the same party as the sitting president since 1990; and in Kansas and New Mexico, voters have not done so since 1968 and 1986, respectively. Read more
Four state legislatures flip — Democrats pick up trifectas in mid-term elections
Going into Tuesday’s 2022 mid-term elections, less electoral shakeup in state legislatures was expected after states’ redistricting efforts shored up many safe seats for incumbents — with the one notable exception being Michigan, thanks to an independent commission that had drawn a competitive map that put both legislative chambers in play. The results detailed below reveal the new, and some still-standing, makeup of statehouse leadership changes as the result of Tuesday’s election. Read more
Ballot measures affecting state economies face varied results
Voters across the country faced a number of ballot measures in Tuesday’s election that could in turn affect the innovation economy in their states. Bond issues affecting higher education were approved in New Mexico and Rhode Island, while the vote is still being counted in Arizona, which considered a measure that would allow more aid for non-citizens of the state pursuing higher education. Massachusetts voters narrowly passed the millionaires tax on the ballot there, with education and transportation reaping the increase in revenues, while California voters turned down a similar tax that would have benefitted zero-emission vehicle subsidies and wildfire suppression. The environment was a winner in a New York $4.2 billion bond proposal as was broadband expansion in Alabama. Several states considered changes to the rules affecting their legislators, elections and ballot initiatives with mixed results. Read more
Election implications for federal TBED policy still TBD
As of Thursday morning, party control of both chambers of Congress is undetermined, as final outcomes remain unknown for 44 House seats and three Senate seats (per the AP). Chamber control may drive the size of the next few federal budgets — affecting opportunities for additional science and innovation funding — and determines who will be chair versus ranking member of committees. Regardless of the electoral outcomes, however, many of the relevant leaders will be unknown until committee assignments occur next year. At a minimum: the Senate appropriations committee will replace the Democratic and Republican leaders; the Senate commerce and small business committees will see new Republican leaders; the House science committee will have a new Democratic leader; and, the House small business committee will have a new Republican leader. SSTI will post updates as those results are available. Read more
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