Election reflection: Democrats gained back some power in the South.

• Author: Storey, Tim

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For voters in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia, 2007 was a big election year with all legislative seats up for elections. These "odd-year" elections often garner little attention and generate little suspense. But this year was different. Majority control was up for grabs in all four states.

Democrats fared well by gaining majority status in two of the eight chambers and retaining majorities in five of the others. They now control the Mississippi and Virginia Senates by narrow margins.

There was, however, a silver lining for Republicans. In addition to keeping their solid advantage in the Virginia House, the GOP made big gains in the Louisiana House, falling just short of control. Democrats have held the chamber since 1876.

For well over a decade now, southern legislatures have been fertile ground for the GOP as they steadily added seats and chambers. Before the 1994 elections, Republicans did not control a single legislative body in the South. By 2007, they were in charge of over half. In November, Democrats reversed the trend by winning back the Mississippi and Virginia Senates.

THE OVERALL PICTURE

With those gains, Democrats now control the legislature in 23 states--up one from before the election. Republicans control both chambers in 14 states, and 12 states have divided legislatures. Nebraska has a unicameral legislature that is not elected on a partisan basis.

There were a handful of governor races in 2007. Republicans gained one and lost one. In Louisiana, the open governor's race went to Republican Bobby Jindal while in Kentucky, incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher lost to Democratic challenger Steve Beshear. As it was before the elections, 28 governors are Democrats and 22 are Republicans.

DEMS HOLD ON IN LOUISIANA

With all seats up, Louisiana Democrats managed to maintain a slim majority in the House: 53 D, 50 R and two independents. And they kept the majority in the Senate: 24 D to 15 R--unchanged from before the election. Term limits took effect in Louisiana this year creating 45 open seats in the House and helping Republicans edge closer to outright numerical control. Of the 15 states with legislative term limits, Louisiana is the next-to-last where they have taken effect. Term limits kick in for Nevada legislators in 2010. At press time, a fierce contest for the speaker's race in the House was taking shape between Democratic Representative Don Cazayoux and Republican Representative...