School & District Management

In State Races, Democrats’ Success Sets Stage For New Education Agendas

By Michele McNeil — November 08, 2006 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Includes updates and/or revisions.

Democrats shifted the balance of power throughout the states yesterday by taking six governors’ seats from Republicans and retaking control of legislative chambers in seven statehouses, setting the stage for Democrat-leaning education agendas that are likely to focus on boosting public school funding, expanding early-childhood-education programs, and making college tuition more affordable.

After Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., a Republican, conceded his race to Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, the Democrats took control of 28 governors’ mansions and Republicans will hold 22. Democrats won open seats in New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Arkansas.

In State Races, Democrats’ Success Sets Stage for New Education Agendas
House Democrats to Pursue Education Agenda With New Majority
Voters Defeat Funding Measures, But Also Refuse to Restrict Spending
Idaho State Chief’s Race Goes to GOP, While South Carolina Heads for Recount
View election data map.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who has been active in national education reform and is the incoming chairman of the National Governors Association, eked out a second-term victory in one of the closest gubernatorial races in the country. Only about 16,000 votes separated him from Democratic Attorney General Mike Hatch, out of more than 2 million votes cast.

Since 1994, Republicans have controlled the majority of governors’ mansions; before yesterday’s elections, the GOP held 28 seats, versus 22 for the Democrats.

Democrats also made huge gains in statehouses, switching the balance of power in the House and Senate in both Iowa and New Hampshire, according to the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures. Democrats also took control in the House chambers in Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon, and Indiana, and the Senate in Wisconsin.

Democrats now control both legislative chambers in 23 states, and Republicans in 16. In 10 states, the chambers are split between the two parties, according to the NCSL. Nebraska’s legislature is nonpartisan. Before Tuesday’s elections, Republicans controlled both cambers in 20 states, compared with 19 for Democrats.

“The voters expressed a real desire for change, and all in one direction,” said Tim Storey, an NCSL elections expert.

Education Issues in Spotlight

Education played out as one of the most important issues in governors’ races around the country.

In New York, where Attorney General Eliot Spitzer trounced Republican John Faso, school finance played a prominent role. A lawsuit there seeking more money for New York City public schools emerged as a big campaign issue, with Mr. Spitzer pledging to boost funding for the city schools by up to $5.6 billion, phased in over four years.

The Democratic Party
Republican National Committee
National Public Radio
Multimedia: The New York Times
Roll Call
Multimedia: The Washington Post
BBC
Multimedia: Guardian (U.K.)

In Florida, often considered a laboratory for education reform, the governor’s mansion will stay in GOP hands. Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist defeated U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Democrat, in a race that was, in some ways, a referendum on current Republican Gov. Jeb Bush’s record on education issues. Having served two terms as governor, Mr. Bush was barred from running again for re-election.

And in Maryland, the poor performance of the Baltimore schools became a key issue in the race between Mr. O’Malley and Gov. Ehrlich, who both appoint members of the city’s school board. However, it was Mr. O’Malley who spent a large portion of the campaign defending the quality of his city’s schools against Mr. Ehrlich’s attacks.

Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management The Eclipse Is Great for Learning. But It's Tough on School Logistics
A total solar eclipse will cross a large swath of the country on April 8, sparking tough management choices for leaders of the districts in its path.
5 min read
A woman and stands outside with her arm on the back of a boy as they look up at the sky while wearing special paper glasses made for viewing a solar eclipse.
Jackie Johnson and her son Bradley Johnson, 9, watch a partial solar eclipse at the Frost Science Museum on Oct. 14, 2023, in downtown Miami. In 2024, some districts are planning to delay or cancel school on the day of a total eclipse, out of safety concerns.
Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP
School & District Management Opinion A Good Principal Knows When It's Time to Leave
I didn’t leave my job because of burnout; I stepped away from being a school leader because it was in everybody’s best interest.
Matthew Ebert
4 min read
Conceptual illustration of someone handing off a baton to someone else over a completed puzzle.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principals Tell Politicians on Capitol Hill: We’re Burning Out
Students' mental health top principals' growing list of concerns.
6 min read
People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
Visitors walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington on June 9, 2022.
Patrick Semansky/AP
School & District Management Women Superintendents Experience Bias on the Climb to Leadership
Interpersonal slights and inequities make it hard for women to land the job and stay in it.
3 min read
Woman stands in front of a staircase in different colors. She is about to walk up the stairs. Concept of standing in front of a challenge and finding the right solution and courage to move on.
mikkelwilliam/E+