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2014 United States elections

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2014 United States elections
← 2012          2013          2014          2015          2016 →
Midterm elections
Election dayNovember 4
Senate elections
Seats contested33 seats of Class II
and 3 mid-term vacancies
Net seat changeRepublican +9, Democratic -9
Map of the 2014 Senate races
     Democratic hold      Republican hold      Republican gain
Line through state means both Senate seats were up for election
House elections
Seats contestedAll 435 seats to the 114th Congress
Net seat changeRepublican +13, Democratic -13
Color coded map of 2014 Senate races
Map of the 2014 House races
  Democratic hold
  Democratic gain
  Republican hold
  Republican gain
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested38
Net seat changeRepublican +2, Democratic -3, Independent +1
Map of the 2014 gubernatorial races
  Democratic hold
  Democratic gain
  Independent gain
  Republican gain
  Republican hold

General elections in the United States were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, and other elections were being held throughout the year. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 36 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate were contested; along with 38 state and territorial governorships, 46 state legislatures (except Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia),[1] four territorial legislatures, and numerous state and local races. This midterm election became the most expensive in history, with total spending reaching $3.7 billion (including spending by outside entities[2]), while producing the lowest turnout since 1942.[3][4][5]

The elections saw sweeping gains by the Republican Party in the Senate, House, and in numerous gubernatorial, state, and local races. The Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since 2006, and increased their majority in the House.[6] The Republicans also gained two seats in governors' races.[7]

Overall, the elections resulted in the largest Republican majority in the entire country in nearly a century, with 54 seats in the Senate, 247 (56.78%) in the House, 31 governorships (62%), and 68 state legislative chambers. Moreover, Republicans gained their largest majority in the House since 1928, the largest majority in Congress overall since 1928, and the largest majority of state legislatures since 1928.[8][9][10]

Political scientist Gary C. Jacobson argues that the voters treated the election as a referendum on the economy and especially on Obama’s presidency. The result was the most partisan, nationalized, and president-centered midterm election in at least 60 years.[11]

Issues

The 2014 election lacked a "dominant national theme", with no single issue rising above all others.[12] Some of the major issues of the election included income inequality,[13] the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as "Obamacare"),[14] and immigration.[12]

Although it generated much debate in early 2014, the Keystone Pipeline ultimately received little attention in the election, with environmentalists instead focused on fighting global warming and supporting the EPA's proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.[15][16][17] Another potentially important issue, net neutrality, received little attention during the campaign.[18]

According to political commentator Stuart Rothenberg prior to the election, foreign policy crises in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia were likely to hurt the Democratic Party's chances in 2014.[19]

Turnout

Perhaps affected by the lack of a single key issue, nationwide voter turnout was just 36.4%, down from 40.9% in the 2010 midterms and the lowest since the 1942 elections, when just 33.9% of voters turned out, though that election came during the middle of World War II.[3][4][5]

The states with the highest turnout were Maine (59.3%), Wisconsin (56.9%), Alaska (55.3%), Colorado (53%), Oregon (52.7%) Minnesota (51.3%), Iowa (50.6%), New Hampshire (48.8%), Montana (46.1%) and South Dakota (44.6%), all of which except for Iowa and Montana featured a competitive gubernatorial race and all of which except for Maine and Wisconsin also featured competitive Senate races.[4][5] The states with the highest turnout that had no Senate or gubernatorial race that year were North Dakota (44.1%) and Washington state (38.6%).[4][5]

The states with the lowest turnout were Indiana (28%), Texas (28.5%), Utah (28.8%), Tennessee (29.1%), New York (29.5%), Mississippi (29.7%), Oklahoma (29.8%), New Jersey (30.4%) and West Virginia and Nevada (31.8%). Indiana and Utah had no Senate or gubernatorial elections and the others all had races for at least one of the posts, but they were not considered competitive.[4][5] Turnout in Washington, D.C. was (30.3%).[4][5]

According to CNN Young Americans aged between 18-29 accounted for 13%, down from 19% in the presidential election two years before.

Analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 35% of non-voters cited work or school commitments which prevented them from voting, 34% said they were too busy, unwell, away from home or forgot to vote, 20% either didn't like the choices, didn't know enough or didn't care and 10% had recently moved, missed a registration deadline or didn't have transportation.[20]

The New York Times counts apathy, anger and frustration at the relentlessly negative tone of the campaigns as the reasons of low turn out and stated that, "Neither party gave voters an affirmative reason to show up at the polls."[21]

Federal elections

With a final total of 247 seats (56.78%) in the House and 54 seats in the Senate, the Republicans ultimately achieved their largest majority in the U.S. Congress since the 71st Congress in 1929.[22]

Congressional elections

Senate elections

Main article: United States Senate elections, 2014

All 33 seats in Senate Class II were up for election. Additionally, three special elections were held to fill vacancies in Class III.

Of the 36 Senate races, the Republican Party won 24 (a net gain of nine seats, which represents the largest gain for a party in the Senate since 1980, and the largest Senate gain in a midterm since 1958) and the Democratic Party won 12, thus resulting in the Republicans regaining control of the Senate for the first time since 2006, with a total of 54 seats. The race in Louisiana headed to a run-off on December 6, 2014, in which Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) defeated 3-term incumbent Sen. Mary Landreiu 55.9% to 44.1%.

House of Representatives elections

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections, 2014

All 435 voting seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. Elections were held to select the delegates for the District of Columbia and four of the five U.S. territories. The only seat in the House not up for election was the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, who serves a four-year term. The Republican party won 247 seats (a net gain of 13 seats) and the Democratic Party, 188 seats. Thus, the Republicans gained their largest majority in the House since 1928.

On March 11, there was a special election for Florida's 13th congressional district, won by the Republican Party.

State elections

Gubernatorial elections

Main article: United States gubernatorial elections, 2014

Elections were held for the governorships of 36 of the 50 U.S. states and three U.S. territories. The Republican Party won 24 of the 36 state governorships (for a net gain of two seats), with the Democratic Party losing a total of three seats, and an independent candidate winning one (Bill Walker in Alaska). This marked the first time an incumbent Governor running for re-election in Pennsylvania lost in the modern era. The final total, as a result, was 31 Republican governors, 18 Democratic governors, and one Independent governor.[23]

State legislative elections

Elections to state legislatures were held in 46 states, with a total of 6049 seats up for election (82 percent of the total number of state legislative seats in the United States). Republicans won control of 10 legislative chambers: both chambers of the Nevada Legislature, the Minnesota House of Representatives, New Hampshire House of Representatives, the New Mexico House of Representatives, the West Virginia House of Delegates, the Colorado Senate, the Maine Senate, the New York Senate, and the Washington Senate. This increased the total number of Republican-controlled state houses from 57 to 67. The day after the election, Republicans, who achieved a 17-17 tie in the West Virginia Senate, gained control of that chamber as well thanks to the defection of State Senator Daniel Hall, thus increasing their total gains to 11, for a final total of 68 state houses won.[24] The election left the Republicans in control of the highest amount of state legislatures in the party's history since 1928, and also left the Democrats in control of the smallest amount of state legislatures since 1860.[9][10][25]

Local elections

Numerous elections were held for officeholders in numerous cities, counties, school boards, special districts, and others around the country.

Mayoral elections

Major cities which held mayoral elections in 2014 include:

Allegations of misconduct

Connecticut State Representative Christine Ayala was arrested in September 2014 on 19 voting fraud charges, specifically "eight counts of fraudulent voting, 10 counts of primary or enrollment violations and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence."[31] California State Senator Roderick Wright resigned from office in September 2014 and was sentenced to 90 days in the Los Angeles jail for perjury and voter fraud.[32] Despite being convicted months earlier for 8 felonies, Wright was allowed to take a paid leave of absence as State Senator.[33]

In Chicago, election judges said they had received automated phone calls between October–November 3 with apparently false instructions about voting or required training, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In Pontiac, Michigan, local Democrats cited reports of voter harassment and intimidation by Republicans over questioning legally-cast ballots with election workers repeatedly having had to ask them to step aside. A clerk called police for help.[34]

Voting machine issues

Scattered issues with machine occurred, with miscalibrated machines recorded a vote cast for one candidate as a vote for another candidate. They occurred in Virginia,[35] Maryland,[36] Illinois,[37] and North Carolina.[38]

In Bexar County, Texas, the Republican candidate for governor, Greg Abbott, was accidentally replaced on the ballot by David Dewhurst on one machine, on which 12 votes were cast before the problem was caught.[39]

Milestones

A series of milestones were set for African-Americans and women, among others, in the U.S. Congress and American politics in general. These include:

  • Republican Joni Ernst, elected to the Senate from Iowa, became the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate, the first woman ever elected on a statewide level in Iowa, and the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress from Iowa.[44]
  • Republican Will Hurd, elected to the House from Texas, was the first African-American Republican elected to Congress in Texas.[47]
  • Republican Mia Love, elected to the House from Utah, was the first African-American woman elected to Congress as a Republican, the first Haitian-American person elected to the U.S. Congress, and the first African-American elected to Congress from the state of Utah.[48]
  • Republican Martha McSally, the first American woman to fly in combat since the 1991 lifting of the prohibition of women in combat, as well as the first woman to command a USAF fighter squadron, was elected to the House from Arizona.[49][50]
  • Republican Alex Mooney, elected to the House from West Virginia, became the first Latino elected to Congress in West Virginia's history.[51]
  • Republican Tim Scott, elected to the Senate from South Carolina, was the first African-American in history to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate in a former Confederate state,[52] and also became the first African-American to be elected to both the House and the Senate.[53]
  • Republican Elise Stefanik, elected to the House from New York, was the youngest woman elected to Congress at age 30. She beat the previous record-holder and fellow New Yorker, Elizabeth Holtzman, who was elected at age 31 in 1972.[54]

References

  1. ^ "2010 Primary Dates and Seats Up". September 23, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  2. ^ Hagedorn, Elizabeth (November 4, 2014). "How 2014's midterm elections became the most expensive ever". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Alter, Charlotte. "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low". Time. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Charlotte Alter (November 10, 2014). "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years". PBS. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates". United States Elections Project. November 7, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  6. ^ "2014 Elections Coverage". Fox News Channel. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  7. ^ "National Election Results (Governor)". Washington Post. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  8. ^ Pierog, Karen. "Republicans gain big in state legislative elections | Reuters". Reuters. Retrieved November 20, 2014. {{cite news}}: line feed character in |title= at position 52 (help)
  9. ^ a b "Nearly half of Americans will now live in states under total GOP control". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "The Other GOP Wave: State Legislatures &#124". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  11. ^ Gary C. Jacobson, "Obama and Nationalized Electoral Politics in the 2014 Midterm." Political Science Quarterly (2015) 130#1 pp: 1-25. online
  12. ^ a b Rucker, Philip (August 9, 2014). "Unlike previous midterm election years, no dominant theme emerged for 2014". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  13. ^ "Income gap takes shape as central issue for both parties ahead of 2014 midterms". Washington Post. January 6, 2014.
  14. ^ Page, Susan (April 10, 2014). "Poll: Health law's campaign clout bad news for Democrats". USA Today.
  15. ^ Schor, Elana (October 14, 2014). "The incredible shrinking Keystone". Politico. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  16. ^ Mooney, Chris (October 27, 2014). "Environmental groups are spending an unprecedented $85 million in the 2014 elections". Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  17. ^ Davenport, Coral, "Meager Returns for the Democrats’ Biggest Donor, New York Times, 6 November 2014
  18. ^ Fung, Brian (November 4, 2014). "Net neutrality was the biggest tech issue of the year. But nobody campaigned on it". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ Rothenberg, Stuart. "President George W. Obama Meets the Midterms". Roll Call. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  20. ^ "Little Enthusiasm, Familiar Divisions After the GOP's Big Midterm Victory". Pew Research Center. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  21. ^ "The worst voter turnout in 72-years". The New York Times. November 12, 2014.
  22. ^ Bump, Philip (November 5, 2014). "It's all but official: This will be the most dominant Republican Congress since 1929". Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  23. ^ "2014 gubenatorial elections". RealClearPolitics.
  24. ^ Wilson, Reid (November 5, 2014). "Party switch gives Republicans control of West Virginia Senate". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  25. ^ Pierog, Karen (November 5, 2014). "Republicans gain big in state legislative elections". Reuters. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  26. ^ "Mitch Landrieu Is Re-elected Mayor of New Orleans". New York Times. February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  27. ^ "Kevin Faulconer elected next mayor of San Diego, will finish Filner's term". XETV-TDT San Diego 6. February 12, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  28. ^ Rosenberg, Mike (November 14, 2014). "No recount set in close San Jose mayor's race after speculation". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  29. ^ "Election Results". Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  30. ^ "D.C. mayoral primary election results". The Washington Post. April 2, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  31. ^ Mason, Ari (2015-09-27). "State Representative Votes Illegally, Fakes Home Address: Officials". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
    "Bridgeport State Rep. Christina Ayala arrested on 19 voting fraud charges". New Haven Register. Associated Press. 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  32. ^ Carlton, Jim. "California State Sen. Roderick Wright Gets 90 Days in Jail". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  33. ^ Bernstein, Sharon (2014-02-26). "California lawmaker convicted of voter fraud allowed to take paid leave". Reuters. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  34. ^ McCormick, John; Talev, Margaret (November 4, 2014). "As Polls Close, Both Sides Predict Senate Victories". Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  35. ^ "Rigell campaign demands paper ballots in Va. Beach | WAVY-TV". wavy.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  36. ^ "Maryland GOP calls for investigation of voting machines". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  37. ^ "Lawsuit filed against Rock Island County Clerk for voting machine issues | WQAD.com". wqad.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  38. ^ "Voting machine again displays wrong choice". News-Record.com. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  39. ^ "Company acknowledges Bexar ballot glitch that omitted Greg Abbott's name". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  40. ^ Maher, Kris (November 4, 2014). "West Virginia Elects America's Youngest State Lawmaker". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  41. ^ "Branstad elected to 6th term as Iowa governor". KETV Omaha. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  42. ^ Stableford, Dylan (November 5, 2014). "Election 2014 firsts". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  43. ^ Siddiqui, Sabrina (November 4, 2014). "Shelley Moore Capito First Woman Elected As West Virginia Senator". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  44. ^ "Ernst becomes first woman elected statewide in Iowa". Washington Post. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  45. ^ "Gorbea accepts victory in R.I. secretary of state race, first Hispanic in N.E. to win statewide office". Providence Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  46. ^ "Democrat Maura Healey tops GOP's Miller to become the nation's 1st openly gay attorney general". My Fox Boston. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  47. ^ Recio, Maria (November 6, 2014) - "Texas Sending First Black Republican to Congress". Star-Telegram. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  48. ^ Richardson, Valerie (November 5, 2014). "Mia Love makes history by winning House seat in Utah". Washington Times. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  49. ^ Air Force Lt. Col. Martha McSally profile, US Department of Defense official website; accessed November 7, 2014.
  50. ^ "UPDATE: McSally Wins Congressional Seat, Recount Confirms".
  51. ^ "West Virginia, the nation's least Hispanic state, elects its first Latino congressman". Fox News Latino. Published November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  52. ^ Bradner, Eric (November 5, 2014). "Scott first black senator elected in South since Reconstruction". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  53. ^ "South Carolina black senator makes history". CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  54. ^ "New York voters elect youngest woman to US Congress". Yahoo News. AFP. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
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