Dems end 40-year GOP rule in N.Y. Senate

Associated Press

Democrats took control of the New York Senate on Tuesday and with that all of state government, the biggest prize in a dozen contests for partisan control of state legislatures nationwide.

Elsewhere, Democrats won several seats in an effort to take power in the Delaware House and were in a close fight to hold a majority in the Indiana House. Republicans broke ties to gain control of the Tennessee and Oklahoma senates, and fought to take back a majority in the Pennsylvania House.

Nationwide, the final outcome was far from clear in several state legislatures where the balance of control was so close that one-party domination was at stake, and with it greater power to shape domestic policy and draw congressional districts. Overall, 44 states voted on state lawmakers.

In New York, the Democratic victories ended 40 years of GOP Senate control and marked the first time since 1935 that Democrats dominated all of the decision-making bodies of government. Leaders had hoped that voter enthusiasm and registration drives would benefit their candidates down the ticket.

That was the cautious hope of Democrats nationwide, though leaders also worried that gains they had made in Republican districts in 2004 and 2006 would limit their chances this year.

Republicans across the country were counting on local issues that drive these races to overcome what polls indicated was a tough year for the GOP nationally.