During his final year in office, Ohio, Florida and
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Posted On: 12/25/2016 8:51:34 PM
During his final year in office, Ohio, Florida and Iowa voted Republican for president for the first time since 2004. Pennsylvania and Michigan voted Republican for the first time since 1988. Wisconsin did so for the first time since 1984.
When Obama took office in 2009, Democrats controlled nearly three-fifths of both houses of Congress. At their peak, Democrats held a filibuster-proof, 60-seat Senate majority and outnumbered Republicans in the House 258 to 177.
After the 2016 elections, Republicans retained a 246-194 majority in the House. They will hold 52 out of 100 Senate seat seats at the beginning of next year. Both midterm elections of Obama's presidency were disasters for the Democrats. The defeat of Obama's chosen successor, Hillary Clinton, helped keep Capitol Hill in GOP hands.
"Obama increasingly looks to boost down-ballot Democrats," read the headline of a late October Associated Press story. "Obama seeks down-ballot gains after being a midterm loser," said the Hill. "Obama plans 150 down-ballot endorsements," reported CNN. "Obama endorses all the way down ballot," blared Politico.
Reality didn't match the aspirations. Democrats hit a new low in state legislative seats after the elections, dipping to 3,129 seats in the 98 state legislative chambers with a partisan breakdown. Republicans experienced a net gain of 46 seats to reach 4,170.
All told, Republicans now hold nearly 1,000 more seats in state legislatures than when Obama took office, exploding from 44 percent to 56 percent. The GOP begins 2017 controlling 67 of 98 partisan legislative chambers.
When Obama took office in 2009, Democrats controlled nearly three-fifths of both houses of Congress. At their peak, Democrats held a filibuster-proof, 60-seat Senate majority and outnumbered Republicans in the House 258 to 177.
After the 2016 elections, Republicans retained a 246-194 majority in the House. They will hold 52 out of 100 Senate seat seats at the beginning of next year. Both midterm elections of Obama's presidency were disasters for the Democrats. The defeat of Obama's chosen successor, Hillary Clinton, helped keep Capitol Hill in GOP hands.
"Obama increasingly looks to boost down-ballot Democrats," read the headline of a late October Associated Press story. "Obama seeks down-ballot gains after being a midterm loser," said the Hill. "Obama plans 150 down-ballot endorsements," reported CNN. "Obama endorses all the way down ballot," blared Politico.
Reality didn't match the aspirations. Democrats hit a new low in state legislative seats after the elections, dipping to 3,129 seats in the 98 state legislative chambers with a partisan breakdown. Republicans experienced a net gain of 46 seats to reach 4,170.
All told, Republicans now hold nearly 1,000 more seats in state legislatures than when Obama took office, exploding from 44 percent to 56 percent. The GOP begins 2017 controlling 67 of 98 partisan legislative chambers.
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