News & Views Special Election ‘98 Report

Ballot Initiatives

Voters approved more than half of the 61 initiatives before them in the November elections. Progressive gains included passage of environmentally friendly measures in New Jersey and Arizona to preserve open-space lands; Maine, Michigan, and Rhode Island passed environmental funding measures; Minnesota voters agreed to extend the use of lottery revenues to the Environmental Trust Fund. Florida and Iowa added equal rights for women provisions to their state constitutions—with Florida also guaranteeing rights for all regardless of national origin or physical handicap. Voters defeated a measure aimed at limiting future tax increases in Nebraska, and killed an initiative that would have banned the use of property taxes to fund education in South Dakota. Colorado defeated a measure that would have given tuition-tax credits to parents of children in private schools. Voters in Washington state approved a minimum wage increase.

Civil rights efforts across the country faced setbacks, as Washington state approved an anti-affirmative action measure. Other civil rights setbacks included the adoption of measures in Alaska and Hawaii to ban same-sex marriages and Alaska’s establishment of English as the state government’s official language. Colorado voters also passed a constitutional amendment requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortion.

Flemming Fellows in Office

Flemming Fellows continue to make impressive gains in their bids for higher office. Four alumni won higher office in this year’s elections: Grace Napolitano (D-CA, FF ’94), U.S. House of Representatives; Steve Windom (R-AL, FF ’95), Lt. Governor; Kathy Augustine (R-NV, FF ’96), Controller; and Tomie Green (D-MS, FF ’97-98), Circuit Court Judge, Miss. 7th District. In all, eleven Flemming Fellows competed for higher office in 1998, including Laura Boyd (D-OK, Class of 1995), who lost a valiant bid to unseat a popular incumbent Governor.

Who Controls the State Legislatures?

Democrats picked up an additional state house chamber, giving the party control of 27. The GOP gained new majorities in the Michigan and Minnesota state houses. In the upper chambers, Democrats gained three more senate chambers (NH, WI, WA) and now hold a 26-23 edge over Republicans. (To see a map of party breakdown in state legislatures, click here.)

Democrats control both chambers in 20 states, the same number they had coming into the elections. Republicans lost control of legislatures in two states, leaving the party with 17. Twelve states will have divided control between the two parties. (Nebraska’s legislature is unicameral). The GOP holds a 14-9 advantage over Democrats in states where they enjoy single party control of the legislature and the governorship.

The GOP won 23 of 36 gubernatorial contests in the election, giving Republicans 31 governorships in all. Republicans gained governorships in Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, and Florida, Democrats won in California, Iowa, Alabama, and South Carolina and the Reform Party’s Jesse Ventura is the new governor of Minnesota. For complete Election ’98 coverage and analysis, including Flemming alumni election news, visit our website: (www.cfpa.org/programs/flemming/index.html).