Report: Democrats Take Control of State Legislatures Dominated by Republicans for 15+ Years

The Democrat tsunami of successful midterm elections not only gave the party the U.S. Congress, it also flooded into the states, ending the Republicans’ 15-year dominance of state legislatures. The change was “historic,” according to NPR, which compiled the numbers nationwide, reporting that it reversed the GOP dominance “that began in 2010 and had solidified since.” The shift could impact the lives of voters as legislatures have the opportunity to rewrite laws on taxes, reproductive rights, access to health care, school funding, and popular conservative measures like school choice, many of them promoted by the MAGA movement. WATCH — Vice President JD Vance Addresses Midterm Losses: Some of the results at the state level were stunning. According to NPR: Pennsylvania voters elected a Democratic majority in the state Senate for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president. Democrats in Texas will run the state House there for the first time in 24 years. The Georgia House will have a Democratic majority for the first time in more than 20 years. The results reversed a GOP dominance in legislatures that began in 2010 and had solidified since. Going into the midterms, Republicans controlled legislatures in 28 states and Democrats held 18. The remaining few were divided. Now, with some votes still being counted, it looks likely the Democrats will hold a 24-to-22 lead with others divided. Democrats gained seats in nearly every state that held legislative contests, the data shows. Most surprising were the gains in traditionally GOP-run states like Texas, Utah, and Florida. The losses came as Republican “incumbent favorability is at an all-time low” and after extensive campaign spending by Democrats, Edith Jorge-Tuñón, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, wrote in a November 10 memorandum on the election. “Ultimately, the results of this cycle underscore both the challenges Republicans face and the importance of maintaining a strong, sustained presence in the states,” she noted. Heather Williams, president of rival organization the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said Democrat wins “proved what is possible” when the party’s election effort is focused at the state level. Williams wrote in a press release on November 10: The DLCC and state Democrats have proved what is possible when you put statehouses at the center of a national strategy. Democrats flipped seats in every state on the ballot this year—not just in key battlegrounds, but also deep into Republican territory. The depth and breadth of our wins last week reinforce the DLCC’s winning strategy to build Democratic power from the ground up across the country. Not only were statehouses impacted, but also governors’ offices, where the chief executive could act as a stop gap with veto power over a liberal legislature’s overreach. Democrats gained six new “trifectas,” where the party now controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office. In Arizona, Democrats will have majorities in the state House and Senate as well as holding the governor’s office for the first time since 1966. Arizona Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs smiles as she meets with campaign volunteers as voters cast their ballots on primary election day, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin/AP) There, school vouchers could be at stake. Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has repeatedly tried to curtail the state’s voucher program, which provides public money for private school tuition regardless of family income, but the GOP-dominated legislature had blocked her. In Pennsylvania, Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro has said he wants to coordinate with the new liberal legislature to bump the minimum wage to $15 an hour, “codify abortion rights,” build “more affordable housing,” and “take on those utility companies that keep jacking our rates.” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) speaks at an election night watch party in Warminster, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Democrats also won legislatures and governors’ offices in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nevada and broke Republican trifectas in Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas. Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.