2010 United States elections
←20082009201020112012→ Midterm elections | |
Election day | November 2 |
---|---|
Incumbent president | Barack Obama(Democratic) |
Next Congress | 112th |
Senate elections | |
Overall control | Democratic hold |
Seats contested | 38 of 100 seats (34 seats of Class III + 5 special elections)[1] |
Net seat change | Republican +6 |
![]() | |
2010 Senate election results map Republican gain Democratic holdRepublican hold | |
House elections | |
Overall control | Republican gain |
Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
Popular vote margin | Republican +6.8% |
Net seat change | Republican +63 |
![]() | |
2010 House election results map Democratic holdRepublican hold Democratic gainRepublican gain | |
Gubernatorial elections | |
Seats contested | 39 (37 states, 2 territories) |
Net seat change | Republican +6 |
![]() | |
2010 Gubernatorial election results map Democratic gainRepublican gain Democratic holdRepublican hold Independent gain |
The2010 United States electionswere held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, in the middle ofDemocraticPresidentBarack Obama's first term.Republicansended unified Democratic control ofCongressand the presidency by winning a majority in theHouse of Representativesand gained seats in theSenatedespite Democrats holding Senate control.
Republicans gained seven seats in the Senate (including a special election held in January 2010) but failed to gain a majority in the chamber. In the House of Representatives, Republicans won a net gain of 63 seats, the largest shift in seats since the1948 elections.In state elections, Republicans won a net gain of six gubernatorial seats and flipped control of twenty state legislative chambers, giving them a substantial advantage in the redistricting that occurred following the2010 United States census.The election was widely characterized as a"Republican wave" election.
The heavy Democratic losses in 2010 were mainly attributed to the passing of theAffordable Care Actalong with a poor economic recovery from theGreat Recessionand large budget deficits. This marked the first election since 1858 that yielded a Republican-controlled House and a Democratic-controlled Senate. This configuration was also in place for most of the 107th Congress, but on account of SenatorJim Jeffords' party switch rather than the election results.
Issues[edit]
Candidates and voters in 2010 focused on national economic conditions and the economic policies of the Obama administration and congressional Democrats. Attention was paid to public anger over theWall Street bailoutsigned into law by PresidentGeorge W. Bushin late 2008. Voters were also motivated for and against thesweeping reforms of the health care systemenacted by Democrats in 2010, as well as concerns over tax rates and record deficits.[2]At the time of the election, unemployment was over 9%, and had not declined significantly sinceBarack Obamahad become President. Further eroding public trust in Congress were a series of scandals that saw Democratic RepresentativesCharlie RangelandMaxine Waters,as well as Republican SenatorJohn Ensign,all accused of unethical and/or illegal conduct in the months leading up to the 2010 election.
The fiscally-focused and quasi-libertarianTea Party movementwas a vocal force in mobilizing voters for Republican candidates nationwide. Their widespread exposure in the media contributed to the election's focus on economic, rather than social, issues. In the opinion ofFox Newspolitical analystDick Morris,a "fundamental change" occurred in which social issues did not dominate Republican activism in 2010, because "economic and fiscal issues prevail. TheTea Partyhas made the Republican Party safe for libertarians. "[3]
Immigration reform had become an important issue in 2010, particularly following the passage ofArizona Senate Bill 1070,officially known as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The Act greatly enhanced the power of Arizona's law enforcement agencies to investigate the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants and to enforce state and national immigration laws. The Act also required immigrants to carry their immigration documentation on their person at all times. Its passage by a Republican-led legislature and its subsequent and very public signing byJan Brewer,the RepublicanGovernor of Arizona,ignited protests across the Southwest and galvanized political opinion among both pro-immigration Latino groups and Tea Party activists, many of whom supported stronger measures to stem illegal immigration.
The passage of the controversialPatient Protection and Affordable Care Actalso contributed to the low approval ratings of Congress, particularly Democrats, in the months leading up to the election. Many Republicans ran on a promise to repeal the law, and beat incumbent Democratic opponents who had voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Federal elections[edit]
Congressional elections[edit]
Senate elections[edit]
On January 19, 2010, a special election was also held for the Class I seat inMassachusetts,as a result of the death of incumbent SenatorTed Kennedy.RepublicanScott Brownwon the seat.
The 34 seats in theUnited States SenateClass IIIwere up for election. In addition, the Class I/II seats held by appointed SenatorsTed KaufmanofDelaware,Kirsten GillibrandofNew York,andCarte GoodwinofWest Virginiawere contested inspecial electionson the same day. Republicans picked up six seats, but Democrats retained a majority in the Senate.
House of Representatives elections[edit]
All 435 voting seats in theUnited States House of Representativeswere up for election. Additionally, elections were held to select thedelegatesfor theDistrict of Columbiaand four of the fiveU.S. territories.The only seat in the House not up for election was that of theResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico,who serves a four-year term and faced election in2012.Republicans won the nationwide popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 6.8 points[4]and picked up 63 seats, taking control of the chamber for the first time since the2006 elections.This represented the largest single-election shift in House seats since the1948 electionsand the largest midterm election shift since the1938 elections.The only seat Democrats flipped without unseating a Republican was Delaware's lone congressional seat, going to former Lt. GovernorJohn Carney.[5][6]
State elections[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/USStateControl2010postelections.svg/310px-USStateControl2010postelections.svg.png)
Gubernatorial elections[edit]
37 state and two territoryUnited States governorswere up for election. Republicans picked up a net of six state governorships; Democrats won control of five governorships previously controlled by Republicans, but Republicans took 11 governorships.
Other statewide elections[edit]
In many states where the following positions are elected offices, voters elected state executive branch offices (includingLieutenant Governors(though some will be voted for on the same ticket as the gubernatorial nominee),Secretary of state,state Treasurer,state Auditor,state Attorney General,state Superintendent of Education, Commissioners ofInsurance,Agriculture or, Labor, etc.) and state judicial branch offices (seats onstate Supreme Courtsand, in some states, state appellate courts).
State legislative elections[edit]
Republicansscored record gains, gaining at least 680 total seats and taking control of 20 legislative chambers through election, while theDemocratslost 21 chambers.[7][8]The winners of this election cycle were slated to serve in their respective legislatures for either two or four-year terms, depending on state election rules.
Republicans made substantial gains in state legislatures across the nation. Twenty chambers flipped from Democratic to Republican control, giving Republicans full control of eleven state legislatures and control of one chamber in Colorado, Iowa, and New York.1[9]Additionally, Republicans gained enough seats in the Oregon House of Representatives to produce a 30-30 party split, pushing Democrats into a power-sharing agreement that resulted in the election of two "co-speakers" (one from each party) to lead the chamber.[10]Republicans gained a total of 680 seats in state legislative races, breaking the previous record of 628 flipped seats set by Democrats in the post-Watergate elections of 1974.[11]
Six states saw both chambers switch from Democrat to Republican majorities: Alabama (where the Republicans won a majority and a trifecta for the first time since 1874), Maine (for the first time since 1964), Minnesota (for the first time since 1915 in partisan elections and 1973 in non-partisan elections), New Hampshire, North Carolina (for the first time since 1896), and Wisconsin. In addition, by picking up the lower chambers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Montana[a]and Pennsylvania, Republicans gained control of both chambers in an additional five states. Further, Republicans picked up one chamber from Democrats in Colorado, Iowa, and New York to split control in those states. They expanded majorities in both chambers in Texas, Florida, and Georgia. The massive Republican victories in legislative races would be widely expected to significantly impact the redrawing of congressional districts for the 2012 election cycle.
Local elections[edit]
On November 2, 2010, various cities, counties, school boards, and special districts (in the United States) witnessed elections. Some elections were high-profile.
- Luzerne County,Pennsylvania:The voters of Luzerne County adopted ahome rule charterby a margin of 51,413 to 41,639.[12][13]This changed the county’s government from aboard of county commissionersto acouncil-managerform of government. The following year (in 2011), thefirst general electionfor the newassemblywas held. The first council members were sworn in on January 2, 2012.[14]
High-profile mayoral elections are listed below:
- Honolulu, Hawaii:Incumbent mayorMufi Hannemannresigned on July 20, 2010, to run forGovernor of Hawaii.The city's Managing DirectorKirk Caldwellserved as acting mayor untilPeter Carlislewas elected in a special election on September 18.
- Louisville, Kentucky:Incumbent mayorJerry Abramsondeclined to run for a third consecutive term in order to run forLieutenant Governor of Kentuckyin 2011.Greg Fischerwas elected as the successor.
- New Orleans, Louisiana:Incumbent mayorRay Naginwas term-limited out of office.Mitch Landrieuwas elected as the new mayor on February 6.
- Washington, D.C:Incumbent mayorAdrian Fentywas defeated in the Democratic primary byVincent C. Gray,who then went on to win the general election.
Turnout[edit]
Approximately 82.5 million people voted.[15]Turnout increased relative tothe previous U.S. midterm electionswithout any significant shift in voters' political identification.[16]
Table of federal and state results[edit]
Boldindicates a change in control. Note that not all states held gubernatorial, state legislative, and United States Senate elections in 2010.
State[17] | Before 2010 elections[18] | After 2010 elections[19] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
State | PVI | Governor | State leg. | US Senate | US House | Governor | State leg. | US Senate | US House | |
Alabama | R+13 | Rep | Dem | Rep | Rep 5–2 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 6–1 | |
Alaska | R+13 | Rep | Split | Split | Rep 1–0 | Rep | Split | Split | Rep 1–0 | |
Arizona | R+6 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Dem 5–3 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep5–3 | |
Arkansas | R+9 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 3–1 | Dem | Dem | Split | Rep3–1 | |
California | D+7 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 34–19 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 34–19 | |
Colorado | Even | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 5–2 | Dem | Split | Dem | Rep4–3 | |
Connecticut | D+7 | Rep | Dem | Split D/I[b] | Dem 5–0 | Dem | Dem | Split D/I[b] | Dem 5–0 | |
Delaware | D+7 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Rep 1–0 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem1–0 | |
Florida | R+2 | Ind | Rep | Split | Rep 15–10 | Rep | Rep | Split | Rep 19–6 | |
Georgia | R+7 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 7–6 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 8–5 | |
Hawaii | D+12 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Split1–1 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem2–0 | |
Idaho | R+17 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Split1–1 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep2–0 | |
Illinois | D+8 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 12–7 | Dem | Dem | Split | Rep11–8 | |
Indiana | R+6 | Rep | Split | Split | Dem 5–3 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep6–3 | |
Iowa | D+1 | Dem | Dem | Split | Dem 3–2 | Rep | Split | Split | Dem 3–2 | |
Kansas | R+11 | Dem | Rep | Rep | Rep 3–1 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 4–0 | |
Kentucky | R+10 | Dem | Split | Rep | Rep 4–2 | Dem | Split | Rep | Rep 4–2 | |
Louisiana | R+10 | Rep | Dem | Split | Rep 6–1 | Rep | Dem | Split | Rep 6–1 | |
Maine | D+5 | Dem | Dem | Rep | Dem 2–0 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Dem 2–0 | |
Maryland | D+9 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 7–1 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 6–2 | |
Massachusetts | D+12 | Dem | Dem | Split | Dem 10–0 | Dem | Dem | Split | Dem 10–0 | |
Michigan | D+4 | Dem | Split | Dem | Dem 8–7 | Rep | Rep | Dem | Rep9–6 | |
Minnesota | D+2 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 5–3 | Dem | Rep | Dem | Split4–4 | |
Mississippi | R+10 | Rep | Dem | Rep | Dem 3–1 | Rep | Dem | Rep | Rep3–1 | |
Missouri | R+3 | Dem | Rep | Split | Rep 5–4 | Dem | Rep | Split | Rep 6–3 | |
Montana | R+7 | Dem | Split | Dem | Rep 1–0 | Dem | Rep | Dem | Rep 1–0 | |
Nebraska | R+13 | Rep | NP | Split | Rep 3–0 | Rep | NP | Split | Rep 3–0 | |
Nevada | D+1 | Rep | Dem | Split | Dem 2–1 | Rep | Dem | Split | Rep2–1 | |
New Hampshire | D+2 | Dem | Dem | Split | Dem 2–0 | Dem | Rep | Split | Rep2–0 | |
New Jersey | D+4 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 8–5 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 7–6 | |
New Mexico | D+2 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 3–0 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 2–1 | |
New York | D+10 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 26–2 | Dem | Split | Dem | Dem 21–8 | |
North Carolina | R+4 | Dem | Dem | Split | Dem 8–5 | Dem | Rep | Split | Dem 7–6 | |
North Dakota | R+10 | Rep | Rep | Dem | Dem 1–0 | Rep | Rep | Split | Rep1–0 | |
Ohio | R+1 | Dem | Split | Split | Dem 10–8 | Rep | Rep | Split | Rep13–5 | |
Oklahoma | R+17 | Dem | Rep | Rep | Rep 4–1 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 4–1 | |
Oregon | D+4 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 4–1 | Dem | Split | Dem | Dem 4–1 | |
Pennsylvania | D+2 | Dem | Split | Dem | Dem 12–7 | Rep | Rep | Spilt | Rep12–7 | |
Rhode Island | D+11 | Rep | Dem | Dem | Dem 2–0 | Ind | Dem | Dem | Dem 2–0 | |
South Carolina | R+8 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 4–2 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 5–1 | |
South Dakota | R+9 | Rep | Rep | Split | Dem 1–0 | Rep | Rep | Split | Rep1–0 | |
Tennessee | R+9 | Dem | Rep | Rep | Dem 5–4 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep7–2 | |
Texas | R+10 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 20–12 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 23–9 | |
Utah | R+20 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 2–1 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 2–1 | |
Vermont | D+13 | Rep | Dem | Split D/I[c] | Dem 1–0 | Dem | Dem | Split D/I[c] | Dem 1–0 | |
Virginia | R+2 | Rep | Split | Dem | Dem 6–5 | Rep | Split | Dem | Rep8–3 | |
Washington | D+5 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 6–3 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 5–4 | |
West Virginia | R+8 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 2–1 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Rep2–1 | |
Wisconsin | D+2 | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem 5–3 | Rep | Rep | Split | Rep5–3 | |
Wyoming | R+20 | Dem | Rep | Rep | Rep 1–0 | Rep | Rep | Rep | Rep 1–0 | |
United States | Even | Dem 26–23 | Dem 27–14 | Dem 59–41 | Dem 255–178 | Rep 29–20 | Rep 25–16 | Dem 53–47 | Rep 242–193 | |
Washington, D.C. | D+43 | Dem[d] | Dem[d] | — | Dem | Dem | Dem | — | Dem | |
American Samoa | — | NP/D[e] | NP | Dem | NP/D[e] | NP | Dem | |||
Guam | Rep | Dem | Dem | Rep | Dem | Dem | ||||
N. Mariana Islands | CP | Rep | Ind[f] | CP | Rep | Dem[g] | ||||
Puerto Rico | PNP/R[h] | PNP | PNP/D[i] | PNP/R[h] | PNP | PNP/D[i] | ||||
U.S. Virgin Islands | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem | Dem | ||||
Subdivision | PVI | Governor | State leg. | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Governor | State leg. | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | |
Subdivision and PVI | Before 2010 elections | After 2010 elections |
Notes[edit]
- ^Prior to the 2010 election, the 100 seats in theMontana House of Representativeswere evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, but the Democratic Party controlled the chamber by virtue of holding the governor's office.
- ^abJoe Liebermanwas elected as an independent but continued to caucus with Senate Democrats. Connecticut's other Senator was a Democrat.
- ^abBernie Sanderswas elected as an independent but caucused with Senate Democrats. Vermont's other Senator was a Democrat.
- ^abWashington, D.C. does not elect a governor or state legislature, but it does elect amayorand acity council.
- ^abAlthough elections for governor of American Samoa are non-partisan, GovernorTogiola Tulafonoaffiliates with the Democratic party at the national level.
- ^Northern Marianas Islands DelegateGregorio Sablanwas elected as an independent in 2008 and caucused with the Democrats in Congress after taking office in 2009.
- ^Sablan was re-elected as a Democrat in 2010.
- ^abPuerto Rican GovernorLuis Fortuñois a member of the New Progressive Party but affiliates with the Republican Party at the national level.
- ^abPuerto Rico's Resident Commissioner,Pedro Pierluisi,was elected as a member of the New Progressive Party and has caucused with the Democrats since taking office in 2009.
References[edit]
- ^The Class 2 Senate seat in Illinois held concurrent regular and special elections in November 2010. That special election is not included in the total number of seats contested.
- ^Jeffrey M. Jones, "Americans Give GOP Edge on Most Election Issues; Greatest Republican advantages on terrorism, immigration, federal spending",Gallup,September 1, 2010
- ^""The New Republican Right",TheHill".Realclearpolitics. 2010-10-20.Retrieved2013-04-20.
- ^"Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"(PDF).U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk.Retrieved10 April2017.
- ^"In Redistricting Year, GOP Gains a Big Edge".November 4, 2010.RetrievedNovember 4,2010.
- ^"Four More Lessons from the GOP Landslide".November 4, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon November 8, 2010.RetrievedNovember 4,2010.
- ^Memoli, Michael A. (November 3, 2010)."State legislative gains give Republicans unprecedented clout to remake districts - Los Angeles Times".Articles.latimes.RetrievedJune 4,2013.
- ^Balz, Dan (November 14, 2010)."The Republican takeover in the states".Washingtonpost.RetrievedJune 4,2013.
- ^Storey, Tim."GOP Makes Historic State Legislative Gains in 2010".Rasmussen Reports.Rasmussen Report, LLC.Retrieved29 July2014.
- ^Cole, Michelle (Jan 11, 2011)."Oregon House makes history by electing two co-speakers".The Oregonian.Retrieved29 July2014.
- ^"Devastation: GOP Picks Up 680 State Leg. Seats".November 4, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2012.RetrievedNovember 4,2010.
- ^Voters say 'yes' to home rule - News.Standard Speaker(2010-11-03). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
- ^"Luzerne County: Election Results Archive".luzernecounty.org.Archived fromthe originalon 11 January 2018.Retrieved18 March2018.
- ^timesleadervideo (2 January 2012)."Luzerne County Council members sworn in - The Times Leader reports".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-17.Retrieved18 March2018– via YouTube.
- ^Tomasky, Michael (November 3, 2010)."Turnout: says a lot".The Guardian.London.RetrievedNovember 3,2010.
- ^"It's the Ideology, Stupid: Midterm elections".The New Republic.November 4, 2010.RetrievedNovember 4,2010.
- ^"Partisan Voter Index by State, 1994-2014"(PDF).Cook Political Report.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 November 2014.Retrieved19 May2016.PVI in 2010
- ^"2010 State and Legislative Partisan Composition"(PDF).National Conference of State Legislatures.Retrieved19 May2016.
- ^"2011 State and Legislative Partisan Composition"(PDF).National Conference of State Legislatures.Retrieved19 May2016.
Further reading[edit]
- Abramson, Paul; Aldrich, John; Rohde, David (2010).Change and Continuity in the 2008 Elections.doi:10.4135/9781483330846.ISBN9781604265200.
- Bullock, Charles S., et al.Key States, High Stakes: Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, and the 2010 Elections(2011)
- Jacobson, Gary C. (2011)."The Republican Resurgence in 2010".Political Science Quarterly.126:27–52.doi:10.1002/j.1538-165X.2011.tb00693.x.
- Sabato, Larry.Who Got in the Booth? A Look Back at the 2010 Elections(2011)
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 2010 Midterm Election DebatesonC-SPAN
- Wesleyan Media Project: 2010 Political Advertising AnalysisatWesleyan University
- National newspapers
- National radio
- National TV