Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090111
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Democrats, who controlled 29 of the nation's 50 governorships heading into the election, lost control of eight states as Republican candidates won in New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, New Mexico and Wyoming. Late results indicated the Republicans would hold the governorships of 31 states in all.
In a stunning upset, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo lost his seat to state Sen. George Pataki. In Texas, George W. Bush, eldest son of former President George Bush, upset incumbent Democratic Gov. Ann Richards, one of the most popular political figures in recent Texas history. His younger brother, Jeb, however, failed in his bid to defeat Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles in Florida.
Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Ridge, a Republican, narrowly defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. Mark Singel, capturing a seat that had been held by retiring Democratic Gov. Robert Casey. Tennessee GOP Rep. Don Sundquist defeated Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen to take the governorship, which had been held by retiring Democrat Ned McWherter. Kansas Secretary of State Bill Graves, a Republican, easily defeated Rep. Jim Slattery.
In Oklahoma, former U.S. attorney Frank Keating defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. Jack Mildren. In Wyoming, Republican state Sen. Jim Geringer defeated secretary of state Kathy Karpan for the seat that had been held by Democratic Gov. Mike Sullivan. In New Mexico, incumbent Gov. Bruce King was denied a fourth term with the victory of Republican Gary Johnson, an Albuquerque construction company owner.
The contests in New York, Texas and Florida were among the most pivotal of the 36 gubernatorial campaigns waged this fall, as Republicans in many states ran hard-edged, conservative races based on cutting welfare benefits and taxes and getting tough on crime.
At stake was which party would dominate politics in the nation's eight largest states as Democrats and Republicans prepare for the 1996 presidential election. Those states account for 228 electoral votes and control of their governorships can often be critical in a presidential election.
But some of the Democrats' brightest stars refused to go quietly. Cuomo, a three-term governor whose personal magnetism and soaring rhetorical skills have made him a Democratic icon for more than a decade, launched a furious counterattack against Pataki, a little-known state senator.
To the south, in Florida, Chiles had to contend with one of the toughest challenges of a 32-year political career in which he has never been defeated. In Jeb Bush, Chiles faced a hard-nosed and ideologically conservative opponent who promised to go to Tallahassee and ``club this government into submission.''
In Texas, George W. Bush, in his first run for office, managed a disciplined, focused campaign that exploited the feelings of many Texas voters that Richards has no cohesive vision for her state. ``A like-minded Texan,'' Bush called himself.
Republican incumbents in the industrial Midwest fared extremely well, as had been expected throughout the campaign in the traditionally Democratic region. The GOP won the state house races in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
In California, Democrats may have squandered one of their prime opportunities. A year ago, his state battered by the recession and his standing eroded by higher taxes and budget cuts, Gov. Pete Wilson was behind Kathleen Brown by as much as 23 points. By mid-October, however, Wilson had fought back to a lead of as much as 13 points in his bid for a second term by stressing his anti-crime credentials and Brown's opposition to the death penalty.
by CNB