AASHTO Journal, 5 November 2014
Tuesday’s elections saw voters in at least five states turn to the opposing party in their gubernatorial elections, where the incoming governors can lead efforts to shape their states’ transportation policies.
Some races were still undecided as of midday Wednesday.
Governors’ offices will change hands and party control in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois and Arkansas, news reports say. In most of those the governor directly chooses the state DOT executive; in Arkansas, the state DOT is overseen by a commission whose members are appointed by the governor for staggered 10-year terms, subject to Senate confirmation.
The outcome of governors’ races had not been determined in Vermont, Connecticut and Alaska, and the AP on Wednesday morning called the Colorado race for the incumbent governor. The Vermont race will be decided by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature in January, a process that would favor the sitting Democratic governor who leads over his Republican challenger.
Some other governors’ offices plus that of D.C.’s mayor will change hands since the incumbents were not on the ballot, but they were won by candidates of the same party. Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Texas, as well as the District of Columbia, are in that category.
Among the governors winning re-election were some who faced strong challenges. They include the governors of Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Maine.