2013 Sees One-Party Dominance in Many States

Consider it a political laboratory experiment

Rarely has an election seemed to have clearer consequences for state government than the one just completed.

The first result is that Republicans consolidated the power they had won in 2010. Despite some key Democratic victories, 53 percent of Americans live in states where Republicans control both the legislature and the governorship.

Republicans took state policy in a more conservative direction during the last two years, and fought back against President Obama's policies. Nothing that happened November 6 will prevent them from doing the same thing again in the next two years. If the biggest obstacle to the president's second-term agenda is the Republican-controlled U.S. House, the second biggest obstacle will be Republican power in the states.

The other major result was that Republicans won more power in states that were already Republican, while Democrats won more power in states that were already Democratic.