Election 2009, From Va. to Local School Board: Mixed Bag, More Good Than Bad

Quick reflections on last night’s election results …

National

The Bad: In what was a late insurgent campaign, conservative Doug Hoffman loses New York 23 (though Erick Erickson tries to spin it into a favorable light). Tax-limitation initiatives in Maine and Washington went down in flames.

The Good: Obviously, the Republican sweep in Virginia — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, seven more seats in the state assembly — is the big national victory. And a Republican governor in New Jersey? Priceless.

Colorado Local

The Bad:

• Pro-union, anti-reform forces strike back and claim a narrow majority on the Denver school board
• Reformers Amy Attwood and Natalie Menten both narrowly lose Lakewood city council elections
• On the Jeffco school board, incumbent Richard Rush is taken out by liberal Paula Noonan

The Good:

• The Douglas County school board reform slate sweeps into power
• Other school board victories? Laura Boggs in Jeffco, Patrick Albright in Poudre
• Katie Witt cruised to a spot on the Longmont City Council
• Poorly-timed tax hike proposals were crushed in Colorado Springs and the Greeley School District

There will be time later for more responses and more in-depth analysis. Please feel free to share any results that caught your attention or insights I likely missed.