Texas.  Texans voted to amend the state constitution. Of the ten proposed amendments, seven passed; amendments 4, 7, and 8 failed. Of the ten, the San Antonio Tea Party recommendations prevailed on four: amendments 1 and 10 passed, and amendments 4 and 8 failed. Thank you, voters, for making a difference!

Here in Bexar County, the Northeast Independent School District bond initiative also passed; the SATP did not take a position on that issue.

Voter turnout was low: only 5.21% of state voters cast ballots, while a slightly higher 5.67% of Bexar County voters did the same.

Arizona.  Republican Senate President Russell Pearce was defeated in an extremely close race by fellow Republican Jerry Lewis. This is the first time in Arizona history that a legislator has been recalled. While Pearce has not yet conceded the race and thousands of early and provisional ballots remain to be counted, Lewis was holding a steady lead with 53.4% of the vote. Official results may not be available until next week.

Kentucky.  Governor Steve Beshear (D) easily won his second term on Election Day. Beshear is an attorney, former legislator and former Attorney General. He defeated Republican State Senate President David Williams who retains his position as Senate President. Jerry Abramson is the newly elected Lt. Governor. Abramson is a former mayor and joined the ticket last year when Beshear’s Lt. Governor dropped off the ticket to run for U.S. Senate. Beshear wants to expand gambling in KY and will push for a constitutional amendment to be on the ballot in 2012.

Mississippi.  Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant (R) will succeed term-limited Haley Barbour (R) as Governor. Bryant defeated Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree (D) 61 to 39 percent. Republicans retained control of the state Senate with a 28-22 majority. The GOP also captured the House 63-55, absent unexpected absentee ballots and unsuccessful court challenges.

New Jersey.  With all 120 legislative seats up for grabs, the Democrats retained control of both Houses of the Legislature. Despite Governor Christie’s (R) financial support for Republican candidates in competitive districts, Republicans made no gains. Democrats added a seat to their already formidable majority in the Assembly and will now have a 48 to 32 plurality. The Senate remains in Democratic hands with a 24 to 16 majority. The results are viewed as a defeat for Governor Chris Christie who campaigned hard for Republicans, especially in the closer races.

Ohio.  One of the more talked-about ballot measures this year is in Ohio where voters are were asked to approve or repeal S5, the contentious state law limiting collective bargaining rights for state workers. The law was passed by the Republican-led legislature earlier this year but never went into effect. By a 61 to 39 percentage, Ohio voters repealed the new law that would have severely limited the bargaining rights of more than 360,000 teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state employees.

Virginia.  All 140 House and Senate members were up for reelection in 2011. Republicans remain firmly in control of the House of Delegates, winning 68 of 100 seats, defeating three Democratic incumbents. They gained four seats to seize outright control of the 40-member Senate. In a hard-fought election, Republican Bryce Reeves defeated Democratic Sen. Edd Houck with more than 200 votes, resulting in a 20-20 split in that chamber.  However, the GOP has the majority with a tie vote cast by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican.  The election consolidated GOP control of the Senate, House, governor’s mansion, and attorney general’s seat.  According to the Washington Post, “Republicans have not held such sway in Richmond since the Civil War.”

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