Women Win Big In Guv Races
Democrats took one governor's seat from the Republicans in the November election, but both parties largely held their ground in contests that also swelled the ranks of women in U.S. statehouses to a record level.
Missouri's Democratic state Treasurer Bob Holden won a tight race to succeed fellow Democrat Mel Carnahan, whose death in a plane crash shocked the state but did not prevent voters from electing the deceased candidate to the Senate. Holden narrow beat four-term Republican Rep. Jim Talent.
Voters in West Virginia retired the nation's oldest governor, Cecil Underwood, 78, by electing Democratic Rep. Robert Wise, a House member for 18 years, after a campaign that featured a debate over West Virginia's lagging economic health. Underwood was a former governor who made a political comeback four years ago to recapture the job he originally held as a young man.
Women won seats in Montana and Delaware. When sworn in, they will join three others, bringing the number of female governors to five, more than have ever served simultaneously.
| Statehouse Races Incumbents Listed In Italics Winners In Bold Delaware Indiana Missouri Montana New Hampshire North Carolina North Dakota Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia |
In Delaware, Lt. Gov. Ruth Minner retained the statehouse for the Democrats, defeating Republican John Burris, head of the state Chamber of Commerce. The seat had been held by Democrat Thomas Carper who ran successfully for the Senate.
Democrat Jeanne Shaheen won a third term in New Hampshire after a hard-fought race with Republican Gordon Humphrey, a former senator.
Voters in North Dakota, however, defeated another female contender, Democratic state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp, choosing Republican John Hoeven, former president of the Bank of North Dakota The seat was an open one due to the retirement of Republican Gov. Edward Schafer.
Arizona and New Jersey have female governors who were not facing re-election. No more than four women have ever held U.S. governorships at the same time, according to the National Governors Association.
In Vermont, Democrat Howard Dean grabbed an unprecedented fifth term despite a backlash over his support for a state law legalizing same-sex unions.
Expanded Political Coverage From CBSNews.com:
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In Utah, Republican Gov. Mike Leavitt easily won a third term, defeating Democrat Bill Orton, a former congressman.
Indiana voters wrote a historic footnote by re-electing Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon to a second term over veteran Republican Rep. David McIntosh. Added to the eight years that O'Bannon's Democratic predecessor held the seat, it will mark the first time since the Civil War that the party has held the statehouse for four straight terms.
In North Carolina, Democrat Mike Easley, the state's attorney general, defeated former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, the Republican, retaining for the Democrats the seat vacated by Gov. James Hunt.
Washington's Gov. Gary Locke, a Democrat, defeated Republican John Carlson, a veteran radio talk-show host and a conservative.
Democrats were predestined to remain in the minority among the ranks of the governors. Republicans held 30 of the 50 chairs going into Tuesday's election and were defending only four of those 30 in this year's voting.
Going into the election, the Democrats held only 18 governorships. Two others, Maine and Minnesota, are in independent and third-party hands, respectively.