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Wednesday, November 7, 1990/ University Dailv Kansan
National Races
Democrats claim victories in Congress, states
The Associated Press
Democrats wrested governorship from the GOP in Texas, Florida and four other states yesterday in midterm elections that concluded a season of Republican disappointment. Democrats also expanded their dominion of Congress in returns that heavily favored the incumbents.
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., won reelection in the most closely watched Senate race of 34 on the ballot.
Ann Richards was elected governor of Texas and Lawton Chiles in Florida, giving them the last word in re-districting that will add House seats to both Sunbelt states for the next decade.
Pete Wilson led dionne Feinstein in California, but barely, and the GOP looked at him to keep the statehouse from the Democrats.
Democrats proclaim victory
The polls were still open in half the nation when the Democrats proclaimed victory and pointed the voters toward the 1992 presidential race.
"I couldn't feel better," said Ron
Brown, chairperson of the Democratic National Committee. "Both Republicans and Democrats ran against George Bush."
The GOP had good news in Massachusetts, where William Weld will succeed Michael Dukakis. Jim Edgar kept the Illinois statehouse in Republican hands, and John McKenner reading in his re-election bid in Maine.
Charles Black spoke for the Republican National Committee, telling reporters, "It appears to be more of an anti-incumbent trend than a partisan trend." He called the midterm results "an anti-Congress trend rather than an anti-president trend," even though incumbent members were being re-elected at a substantial rate.
The Senate race
But if voters felt any discontent, it made scant difference in the Senate, where at least 30 out of 31 incumbents were being re-elected. The lone Democrat who could be chitwits of Minnesota who said he was going to bed without knowing his
fate.
Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley survived a close call, winning re-election with 32 percent of the vote against a little-known opponent who campaigned against tax increases engineered by a Democratic governor. "It's been a few years since I was in double overtime," Bradley said.
Sen. Lowell Weecker vexed the GOP again, this time as an outsider, with an independent victory for governor of Connecticut.
Mark Hatfield won a fifth term from Oregon in a close Senate race.
Helms bested Harvey Gant in his marquee race for reelection in a contest that pitched one of the nation's conservatives against a Black former member.
"I’m sorry I’m so late," he told supporters, "but I’ve been home watching the grieving face of Dan Rather ... the liberal politicians and editors and commentators and columnists have struck out again."
All in all, the first election of the 1980s came at a time of extraordinary volatility with the nation on the verge of recession and on the edge of
war in the Persian Gulf.
Other issues emerged in scattered races — abortion, crime, the savings and loan crisis and ethics scandals among them.
House of Representatives
House upsets were few and far between, but Wisconsin's Democratic Rep. Robert Kastenmeier fell after 15 liberal terms. Republican Gingrich was in a shocker, barely winning a 30-20 Georgia race.
Democrats renewed control over the House and aimed to improve their 259-176 majority. Undecided races suggested a trend of 268-166.
In Connecticut, Gary Franks became the first Black House Republican since 1935.
Vermont sent Socialist Bernie Sanders to the House. He defeated a Republican and he'd caucus with the Democrats. But former GOP leader David Snellwinter won his old job back, and with it, the stalwartes for his party.
Statehouse races
Among the statehouse cliffhangers still undecided after midnight, Republican Gov. Kay Orr was trailing Ben Nelson in Nebraska and Democrat Gov. James Blanchard was trailing John Engler in Michigan. Gov. Rudy Perpich was running behind Republic Arne Carlson in Minnesota, while Gov. John McKenna was narrowly ahead in Maine.
Well after midnight, there was no shortage of close statehouse races: ■ John Engler was battling Demo Jones, James Blanchard in Michigan.
GOP Gov. McKernan was clinging to a lead over former Gov. Joseph Brennan in Maine.
Democrat Rudy Pichler trailed Arne Carlson in a tough Minnesota race marked by Republican turmoil. Carlson was on the ballot only because Juno Gruntsch dropped out in an alleged allegations of sexual impropriety.
Alabama GOP Gov. Guy Hunt won a close race for re-election
Democrat David Walters grabbed
the open Republican governorship in Oklahoma. Bruce Sundun lrosted the governorship from Republicans in hard-times Rhode Island, ousting Edward DiPrete. Former Gov Bruce King's successful comeback returned New Mexico to the Democratic column, and Joan Finney ousted GOP Gov. Mike Hayden in Kansas.
Presidential questions
New York Gov. Mario Cuomo won in a possible prelude to a 1992 Democratic presidential campaign Besides Bill Bradley, two other potential challengers to President Bush won easy Senate reelection — Al Gore in Tennessee and Sam Nunn in Georgia.
Bush voted in his home state of Texas after an energetic yet awkward campaign for GOP candidates, then returned to the White House to read the returns. Bush sparked a memoir about his memorable 1988 campaign plead and embraced an October deficit reduction plan that raised tax rates.
Winners and losers attempt to be dignified until the end
The Associated Press
Whether in victory or defeat, to be dignified was the final challenge.
So as the returns rolled in, candidates across the nation were mindful that gracious winners don't float and graceful losers never whine. They stood tall before their boosters and末勇 campaign 1996s last spotlight.
When the spotlight finally dimmed, today was here. The battle was over.
"You fought nobly," Republican Pierre Rinfret said as Gov. Mario Cuomo bounced to a third term yell. "We have not seen the end of each other."
Applause sputtered quickly into silence. The controversial millionaire's staffers had hung in when his caustic style split the GOP and his coffers ran dry, but this was the end of the line.
Stacks of blue-and-white placards rested against the walls like decommissioned soldiers, crumpled soda cans were piled high and half-eaten bags of chips were already growing stale.
One campaign worker turns to another: "So what's next for you?"
Before 7 p.m. Rinfret's staffers had pulled on their jackets and disappeared into the Manhattan night. They couldn't hear Republican Jim Keet, a 2nd District congressional candidate down in Arkansas:
"Why are you looking so glum? It ant's not 'til it's over." Keet reminded his staff at 9:15 p.m. "You do have permission to go home."
The spirits lifted slightly by the pep talk and a late surge in the polls, the troops stayed on until 11:20 p.m.
- when Keet conceded victory to Democrat Ray Thornton.
"Losing is difficult for me." Keens said after the race was called. "But the political risk is secondary. Participating in the American political
process is much more important. We will begin again tomorrow."
Gov. Mike Hayden of Kansas sounded a similarly stalwart note in conceding Democrat Joan Finney's upset victory.
"As tough as it is and as hard as it is, there'll be another day," he said. Pete Wilson's boosters rolled into campaign central along with favorable returns against Democrat contender Dianne Feinstein.
Said candidate Wilson to his supporters: "Happily, there seems to be only property damage."
Among the clear winners last night was Sen. David Pryor of Arkansas Minutes after the polls closed, the Democratic incumbent held a sigh of relief in an interview with a Little Rock television station.
"I was very fortunate. The people of our state were very kind to me this year," Pryor said humbly. "I didn't think this would happen to me."
Democrats dominate across U.S. in race for control of redistricting
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Democrats yesterday padded their over-whelming control of political redistricting, plucking the potent Florida and Texas governorships from GOP hands and adding Rhode Island, Oklahoma and New Mexico to their remapping monopolies.
Congressional districts must be redrawn before the 1924 elections. Whichever party has control of state legislatures and governorates, it will more control over the redistricting process resulting in political advantage.
The Florida and Texas defeats were disastrous for Republicans, and Democrats were in the running for the only remaining key GOP redistricting weapon: the California governorship.
Democrats clearly will have a huge edge when lines are drawn for 1992 congressional races, all but
cementing the Republicans as the House minority for another decade and perhaps far longer. And Democrats were calling the Texas and Florida victories a boost for their 1982 presidential hopes.
"We feel better about the prospects of fair districts when the pen is in Democratic hands, said Benny Solomon, a political director Pallu Tully. In all, eight states will gain and 13 will lose seats when House districts are reapportioned to reflect population shifts of the 1980s, according to preliminary data. Democrats will control the process onions in at least five of the states gaining House seats.
The Ohio governorship was the only significant redistricting victory for Republicans as results were shown that races traded in. So frustrating
was the GOP's night that the only redistricting monopoly the GOP gained was in Vermont, which has only one House seat.
Despite the millions spent on often-ignored state races with the post-Census redistricting in mind, it appeared but a few of the dozen targeted chambers would change hands.
The GOP turned back Democracy efforts to take over the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio senates. Redistricting power in all three states, which will lose House seats in 1992, will be shared
Republicans failed in their bid to wrest the Illinois Senate from Democrats but won a close governor's race to keep a say in redistricting there. The GOP was trailing in bids to win over the Democratic Florida Senate and Pennsylvania House.
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