Democrats Gain in State Elections

The Wall Street Journal


Two red states turned slightly blue in off-year elections as Kentucky's Republican governor lost, and Democrats picked up at least three seats in Virginia's state Senate.

In Kentucky, former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, took nearly 60% of the vote against incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who was plagued by scandal in the early days of his administration. Gov. Fletcher campaigned on social issues but couldn't overcome a furor surrounding a 2006 indictment for his part in a patronage scandal. Charges against the governor were dropped after he made a deal with prosecutors, and he later pardoned all others accused.

Democrats picked up at least three seats in Virginia’s upper chamber and were likely to take more. The party’s most impressive gains were in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Early returns indicated that Democrats might take control of that body.

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Democrats have swept recent high-profile statewide elections in Virginia, including the last two governor’s races and a surprise victory in the U.S. Senate race last year, and the party hopes the trend will hold for the 2008 Senate race, where former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner is favored.