The Michigan Legislature Website is a free service of the Legislative Service Bureau in cooperation with the Michigan Legislative Council, the Michigan House of Representatives, the Michigan Senate, and the Library of Michigan. At the time of the 1984 election, therefore,Democrats controlled 33 legislatures. KELLY: Before I let you go, I just want to get a quick word from each of you about the money in play with these races. June 1, 1955 Nov. 2, 1967 Am. ;-- Here’s where some battleground state legislatures stand only 22 days from Election Day. Though Trump won the state by almost four points in 2016, he trails Biden nearly the same margin, according to FiveThirtyEight. KELLY: And, Tim, you get the last word again from Minnesota. She said voters have just been a lot more receptive. We are hearing from states across the country, where all kinds of fundraising records are being broken this year. Though President Donald Trump won the state in 2016, Michigan has trended blue since then, electing a Democratic governor, attorney general and secretary of state and flipping two GOP-held congressional districts in the 2018 midterms. ;-- Democrats also have an opportunity to flip the state House in Arizona, where they have not had a majority in 54 years, according to NBC. Michigan Democrats narrowed the Republican majorities in the state Legislature by picking up a net of five House and six Senate seats, mostly on strength in Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids and a number in districts that had backed President Trump in 2016. Though Republicans have held legislative majorities in most swing states throughout the last decade, Democrats hope that their momentum at the national level will lead to state legislative wins in critical battlegrounds like Michigan, Florida, Arizona and more, according to NBC News. And this year, they only need to pick up two seats to control the House and three seats to control the state Senate. PAUL GAZELKA: So I'm optimistic that if we have the majority, that we will be part of a group that actually does do redistricting without going to the courts. (RELATED: Polls Show A Widening Lead For Biden In Some Critical States), (RELATED: Battleground Polls Show Massive Shift Among Senior Voters), (RELATED: Judge Throws Out North Carolina’s Gerrymandered Congressional Map). I talked to Martin Quezada. But if you remember that Republican senator hanging on for dear life in North Phoenix - as of September, she's raised twice that amount, and roughly a million dollars has been spent from outside groups supporting and opposing her this campaign. Am. And I suppose we should just stress that even if Democrats do sweep the House and Senate, they will still be contending with a Republican governor, with Governor Doug Ducey, who is there. Let me welcome Ben Giles of member station KJZZ in Phoenix, Ariz., Abigail Censky of member station WKAR in East Lansing, Mich., and Tim Pugmire from Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Two years ago, Dems made history, and they swept the district's two House seats. That would be Minnesota. PUGMIRE: Well, we could see some million-dollar legislative races this time, which is pretty unusual, pretty rare. And races here have attracted nearly 9 million in fundraising. 2 A party change during the year by a Democratic representativebroke the tie in the Indiana House of Representatives,giving the Republicans control of both chambers. Am. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Copyright © 2020 NPR. If Democrats manage to flip majorities in states across the country, they would have a greater influence over how states redraw their congressional districts for the following decade as well. The Cook Political Report rates both chambers as “lean Republican,” and the race between Trump and Biden as a tossup. How big an issue, how divisive is redistricting right now? And a win for Democrats here would be a win for Whitmer. Am. 1997, Act 158, Imd. Click on the map to see how a district voted and how that compared with past elections. 28, 1963 Millions of Americans in 44 states will vote in dozens of state legislative races this November, in some cases determining which party has majority control before states begin congressional redistricting. And we're going to spend these next several minutes talking about the election, not the presidential race but some of the more than 5,800 state lawmaker seats that are up for grabs across the country.

She has clashed repeatedly with Republicans who currently control the statehouse, something she and other Democrats would like to change. North Carolina is already the only state with competitive races at the presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial levels, but it has competitive state legislative races as well. He's a Democratic senator who's watched the shift in that district over the past decade. Republicans believe they can expand their majority, and they're targeting some rural districts that are left held by Republicans where President Trump won in 2016. Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Florida four years, ago, but trails Biden by 4.5 points, according to FiveThirtyEight. 1962, Act 67, Eff. And it's usually been a consequence of divided government, so things could be different if Democrats win the Senate this time and keep the House. Tens of millions of dollars are being spent in states to turn enough state legislative seats to flip party control. What kind of spending are you seeing there? Thanks so much to all three of you. Let me turn to our last state. As Tim Pugmire - you were there in another state with a Democratic governor, Tim Walz. If Democrats flip both state legislative chambers, they would have unified control of North Carolina’s government, assuming Gov. Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 218 of 2020 House: Adjourned until Wednesday, November 4, 2020 1:30:00 PM Senate: Adjourned until Wednesday, November 4, 2020 10:00:00 AM Michigan Legislature User Menu For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. All rights reserved. Tens of millions of dollars are being spent in states to turn enough state legislative seats to flip party control. What are the dynamics at play in Minnesota this election year? KELLY: Such a razor, razor thin margin you're looking at there. LAURIE POHUTSKY: It seems to be more pressing for a lot of people. ;-- ;-- CENSKY: That's right. Their, you know, kids may be in online school, and they're thinking about health a lot more. June 5, 2012 Eff. She's been up against Republican-controlled state legislature since she came into office. 1967, Act 35, Eff. (RELATED: Polls Show A Widening Lead For Biden In Some Critical States). NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. GOP Sen. Martha McSally has also consistently trailed her Democratic challenger, Capt.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Trump in Michigan by over eight points, according to FiveThirtyEight, and the Cook Political Report rates control of Michigan’s lower chamber as a tossup.. If you believe the information is inaccurate, out-of-date, or incomplete or if you have problems accessing or reading the information, please send your concerns to the appropriate agency using the online Comment Form in the bar above this text. Democrats need to pick up just four seats in the state House of Representatives to regain the majority. Party Control: Lower Body of State Legislature After the 2020 Census, redistricting will occur, with congressional districts redrawn for the 2022 through 2030 elections. Dec. 22, 1997 Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. That was Tim Pugmire from Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, Abigail Censky of member station WKAR in East Lansing, Mich., and Ben Giles of member station KJZZ in Phoenix, Ariz. And Democratic candidates that I've talked to are saying their original messages of, you know, believing in science, funding education and protecting health care are just hitting different with voters who have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like in Michigan, Democrats need to flip only four seats to flip the state Senate in Florida, which, if successful, would break Republicans’ control of the state’s executive and legislative branches. KELLY: All right, I'm going to let each of you set the stage in your state. But we know that a lot of outside groups are raising millions and spending it. ;-- KELLY: And given that, that that is the view from Republicans you're speaking with, why do Democrats think they do have a bigger opportunity this year to take over the state legislature?

The GOP controls 30 state legislatures to Democrats' 19. Democrats need five seats to flip the state Senate and six seats to flip the state House, and are relying on growing support in rapidly-growing suburbs outside cities like Charlotte and Greensboro, NBC reported. Am. And I want to hear how it's playing in each of your states. Though senior voters, who vote at disproportionately high rates across the state, have long been reliable conservative votes, they have expressed their disapproval with Trump, creating opportunities for Democrats at the state and national levels, according to NBC.

So let me start us there because to remind, Gretchen Whitmer is a Democrat. CENSKY: Well, a whopping 2.5 million has been spent on just broadcast advertising here, and it's really concentrated. That'll tell us more. In three-quarters of the states, the same party controls both the legislature and the governor’s office. In many states , this process is controlled by the state legislature, subject to gubernatorial veto. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at an event where General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra announced a $300 million investment in the GM Orion Assembly Plant (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images). The information obtained from this site is not intended to replace official versions of that information and is subject to revision.

But I talked to Republican Senate leader Paul Gazelka, who says divided government is needed to resolve redistricting fairly. They're targeting suburban districts currently held by Republicans that Hillary Clinton won four years ago. 1 Two 1984 midterm recall elections resulted in a change in control ofthe Michigan State Senate. After a Republican sweep in 2010, Democrats are on the offensive this year. Nebraska has a unicameral, non-partisan legislature. 1958, Act 192, Eff. KELLY: All right, so that is one view from Michigan. Roy Cooper, who leads his GOP challenger in the polls, wins reelection. 31, 1997 We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020. PUGMIRE: Well, we have Democrats in control of the House, Republicans in control of the Senate but just by a slim, three-seat majority, so Democrats definitely see an opportunity to flip control there. Am. Democrats are making a play for the House here in Michigan. Judges have routinely been involved in settling redistricting in Minnesota over 40 years. Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 218 of 2020, House: Adjourned until Tuesday, November 10, 2020 1:30:00 PM, Senate: Adjourned until Tuesday, November 10, 2020 10:00:00 AM. PUGMIRE: Well, it's a relatively quiet issue. ;-- The Legislature presents this information, without warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy of the information, timeliness, or completeness. Hang in there this next week. And that is the case in the three states we're going to hear from now. KELLY: And I want to draw attention to what the stakes are there for control of the statehouse in Minnesota because one of the tasks that legislators there are going to face in the coming years is redrawing the political map for the state. They're trying to take back control of chambers that Republicans swept in the last decade. (RELATED: Battleground Polls Show Massive Shift Among Senior Voters). They have the constitutional responsibility to redraw these maps, but they actually haven't done it in decades because if they can't agree or they can't meet the deadline, then the courts step in.