Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner examines the potential for Republican gains at the statehouse level and how that could change the dynamic of state capitol politics.
In his weekly column, Brawner notes that Republicans have wandered in the wilderness in recent decades. But if projections for major gains occur this cycle, could the Republicans be setting themselves up for even further gains in the future?
The 2011 Legislature will look very different than today’s, and not just because there will be fewer Democrats. While Arkansas long has been described as a one-party state, it often has been more of a no-party state, with urban/rural and insider/outsider divisions more important than partisan ones. Democrats have enjoyed such overwhelming majorities in the Legislature that they could afford to be magnanimous.
They have allowed Republicans to chair committees, and in 2005 many voted to elect Sen. Dave Bisbee, a Rogers Republican, as president pro tempore. In fact, Bisbee would have been elected had some members of his own party not voted for a Democrat, Sen. Jack Critcher, whom they liked better for a variety of reasons.
That won’t happen anymore. The next time legislators elect a Senate president pro tempore and a speaker of the House, there’s a good chance they’ll be choosing between one Democrat and one Republican in each chamber. Party members will remain loyal to their candidates, and the Democrats will win — this time.
Read Brawner’s complete column at this link.