华盛顿 ― 在民主党在中期选举中大获全胜一周后，他们在国会之外的胜利范围逐渐清晰 ― 令人惊叹：民主党将首次在一代人的时间里控制全国大多数州的立法机构，标志着自2010年共和党浪潮以来，州一级政治权力发生的最大变化。
WASHINGTON ― A week after Democrats’ sweep in the midterm elections, the scope of their victories beyond Congress is coming into focus ― and it’s astounding: Democrats will control a majority of the country’s state legislative chambers for the first time in a generation, marking the largest shifts in political power at the state level since the GOP wave of 2010.
截至周一晚间，他们已将549个州立法席位从共和党手中夺回至民主党，夺取了12个议院的控制权，并打破了13个共和党超级多数。他们还创造了至少六个新的民主党“三权合一”局面，即在这些州，民主党将控制众议院、参议院和州长职位。在全国范围内，民主党“三权合一”州的数量已超过共和党，达到22比19。
As of late Monday, they’ve flipped 549 state legislative seats from Republican to Democrat, flipped control of 12 chambers and broken up 13 Republican supermajorities. They’ve also created at least six new Democratic trifectas, meaning in those states, Democrats will control the House, the Senate and the governorship. Democratic trifectas now outnumber GOP trifectas nationally, 22 to 19.
虽然还有数十场选举结果尚未揭晓，但未决选情预计不会削弱民主党夺取议院控制权的成果。
While dozens of elections are yet to be called, outstanding races are not expected to detract from Democrats’ takeover of chambers.
“我们赢得了巨大的执政权力，”民主党立法竞选委员会发言人威尔·拉斯切表示，该委员会是该党专门致力于当选州议员的官方机构。
“It’s just an immense amount of governing power that we won,” said Will Rusche, a spokesperson for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the official arm of the party focused on electing Democrats to state legislatures.
拉斯切说，这一大胜并非一蹴而就，而是民主党立法竞选委员会和其他团体多年为这一时刻打基础的结果。他说，在威斯康星州和亚利桑那州等地，经过数十年的努力，才打破了共和党在2010年建立的权力垄断，赢得民主党“三权合一”。在佐治亚州，民主党用了五个选举周期逐步获得席位，才在今年距离夺取众议院控制权仅一步之遥。
This sweep didn’t come together overnight, Rusche said, but is the result of years of the DLCC and other groups laying groundwork for this moment. It took decades of work in states like Wisconsin and Arizona to break the grip on power Republicans established in 2010 and win Democratic trifectas, he said. In Georgia, it took Democrats five election cycles of gaining seats to get within striking distance of taking the House this year.
拉斯切说，民主党立法竞选委员会将本次选举周期视为“一代人难得一遇的机会”，以在多年来试图攻克的州取得进展。在去年弗吉尼亚州和新泽西州的特别选举中取得大胜后，民主党立法竞选委员会投入资源 ― 并押注 ― 这些竞选是中期选举将利好其党的早期信号。他们押对了。
The DLCC approached this election cycle as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to make gains in states it’s been trying to break into for years, he said. Chalking up big wins in last year’s special elections in Virginia and New Jersey, the DLCC was investing in ― and banking on ― those races being early signs the midterm elections would be a boon for their party. They were right.
2016年特朗普首次当选时，民主党仅在五个州的立法机构中实现“三权合一”（即同时控制州长和州参众两院）。在过去十年里，得益于特朗普让受过大学教育的选民倒戈——这类选民在投票率较低的中期选举和特别选举中通常会可靠地投票，而这些选举往往决定州一级的权力归属——民主党实现这一目标的州数量已增加了三倍多。
Democrats held just five Democratic trifectas in state legislatures when Trump was first elected in 2016. Helped by Trump repelling college-educated voters who reliably cast ballots in lower-turnout elections like midterms and special elections, where power at the state level is often decided, Democrats have more than quadrupled that number in the past decade.
“想想特朗普时代意味着什么，”鲁谢说。“我们逐步蚕食，而今年则算是粉碎了共和党对各州的控制。”共和党州领导委员会（RSLC，即DLCC的对应组织）的伊迪丝·豪尔赫-图尼翁表示，民主党大获全胜部分归因于他们将州立法机构竞选列为头等大事，暗示共和党需要做得更好。
“You think about what the Trump era has meant,” Rusche said. “We have chipped away at, and then this year was kind of the shattering of Republicans’ control of the states.”Edith Jorge-Tuñón of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which is DLCC’s counterpart, said Democrats won big in part because they made state legislative races a top priority, suggesting the GOP needs to do better.
豪尔赫-图尼翁在一份声明中说：“民主党在这些竞选中投入了‘前所未有的资源’，因为他们明白州立法机构在制定政策和培养下一代领导人方面拥有的权力。”
Democrats invested “unprecedented resources into these contests because they understand the power state legislatures hold in shaping policy and building the pipeline for the next generation of leaders,” Jorge-Tuñón said in a statement.
DLCC得到了外部团体大规模努力的协助，其中包括“各州计划”（The States Project）斥资1亿美元，旨在翻转21个州的州立法机构控制权，以及在得克萨斯州，得克萨斯州民主党与得克萨斯多数派政治行动委员会（Texas Majority PAC）的协同竞选活动。
The DLCC was aided by a huge effort by outside groups, including $100 million spent by The States Project to flip state legislative chambers in 21 states, and in Texas, the coordinated campaign between the Texas Democratic Party and Texas Majority PAC.
“我们本周期的策略是利用全国大环境，推动每一个可能赢得的州立法机构席位，”“各州计划”执行主任曼达拉·梅耶斯说。“我们在目标州基本实现了横扫。”在得克萨斯州，协同的民主党竞选活动招募了104名候选人，自1972年以来首次角逐每一个州立法机构和司法席位。民主党不仅赢得了州长职位和联邦参议员席位，还自2002年以来首次夺回州众议院控制权，并囊括了所有全州范围的选举职位。
“Our strategy this cycle was to be able to capitalize on the national environment in order to power every state legislative win that was possible,” said Mandara Meyers, executive director of The States Project. “We essentially had a clean sweep across our states.”In Texas, the coordinated Democratic campaign recruited 104 candidates to run in every state legislative and judicial seat for the first time since at least 1972. Democrats not only won the governorship and the federal Senate race, but they won control of the state House for the first time since 2002 while sweeping every statewide race.
得克萨斯州民主党主席肯德尔·斯卡德说：“这是基层民众、县主席、选区主席以及自1972年以来首次竞选各个职位的候选人共同努力的结果。”
“This is a consequence of people on the ground, county chairs, precinct chairs, candidates that ran in every office for the first time since 1972,” said Kendall Scudder, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.
民主党在联邦选举中也大获全胜，夺回了国会两院的控制权。在余下的白宫任期内，唐纳德·特朗普总统现在必须与民主党合作才能通过任何法律。但他仍然有能力通过否决他不喜欢的法案来阻挠民主党的议程，他已经誓言要这样做。而周五有消息称，他将任命斯蒂芬·米勒为新任白宫幕僚长，米勒是极右翼且公开反移民的极端分子，这并不表明特朗普希望在未来两年内跨党派合作。
Democrats trounced in federal races, too, taking back control of both chambers of Congress. For the rest of his time in the White House, President Donald Trump will now have to work with Democrats to pass any laws. But he’ll still have the ability to stymie their agenda by vetoing bills he doesn’t like, something he’s already vowed to do. And with Friday’s news that he’s tapping Stephen Miller as his new chief of staff, a far-right and proudly anti-immigrant extremist, Trump isn’t exactly signaling a desire to work across the aisle over the next two years.
不过，在刚刚形成民主党三连胜的州，议员们可以推进他们一直渴望处理的任何优先事项，因为他们知道州长会将其签署成为法律。
In states with newly Democratic trifectas, though, legislators can plow forward with any number of priorities they’ve been itching to tackle, knowing their governor will sign them into law.
“民主党真正能够有所作为的权力在于三连胜，”莱斯利·马特斯说，她是政治团体“前进多数”的首席执行官，该团体致力于在州立法机构中建立民主党多数。“我们可以做一些在联邦层面做不到的很酷的事情。”马特斯说，威斯康星州是新的民主党三连胜州之一，这意义重大，因为该州的国会选区地图是“全国最严重不公正划分的选区之一”。该州由共和党控制的立法机构和前共和党州长斯科特·沃克于2011年通过了一项有争议的重新划分选区法律，这帮助锁定了共和党的持久多数地位。
“What really is power for Democrats to do something is trifectas,” said Leslie Martes, CEO of Forward Majority, a political group focused on building Democratic majorities in state legislatures. “We can do some really cool stuff that we can’t do at the federal level.”It’s a huge deal that Wisconsin is one of the states with a new Democratic trifecta, said Martes, as its congressional maps are “some of the most gerrymandered in the country.”The state’s GOP-controlled legislature and former Republican Gov. Scott Walker passed a controversial redistricting law in 2011, which helped to lock in durable Republican majorities.
现在，随着民主党准备在1月全面执掌威斯康星州政府，他们可以重新绘制国会选区地图，并扭转过去二十年将他们排除在权力之外的不公正划分。
Now, with Democrats poised to run all of Wisconsin’s state government in January, they can redraw congressional maps and roll back the gerrymandering that kept them out of power for the past two decades.
“我们将在威斯康星州考虑进行国会选区重新划分工作，”州众议员、州议会民主党领袖格蕾塔·纽鲍尔说。
“We will be considering a congressional redistricting effort in Wisconsin,” said state Rep. Greta Neubauer, the Democratic leader in the state assembly.
纠正共和党的政治操弄只是民主党如今可以推进的政策议程的开始。在威斯康星州，民主党人终于着手修订其限制性的选举法，并试图推进医疗补助扩保。在密歇根州和亚利桑那州，两州均由民主党新近实现三权独揽，党内领导人正释放信号，表示已准备好推动解决生活负担能力、投票权、住房、堕胎权、枪支安全等优先事项的法案。
Redressing GOP political gamesmanship is just the beginning of the policy agenda Democrats can tackle now. In Wisconsin, Democrats finally revamp their restrictive election laws and try to advance Medicaid expansion. In Michigan and Arizona, which both have new Democratic trifectas, party leaders are signaling they’re ready to get moving on bills addressing affordability, voting rights, housing, abortion rights, gun safety and other priorities.
在佐治亚州和得克萨斯州，医疗补助扩保将成为当地议程的首要事项。这两个州是从未扩保的最大州中的两个。
Medicaid expansion in Georgia and Texas, two of the largest states to never expand, will top the agenda there.
佐治亚州民主党主席查理·贝利在谈到民主党赢得州众议院时表示：“有了这一多数优势，基莎·兰斯·博顿斯州长将能够扩大医疗补助。这就是结果。这就是我们为之奋斗的原因。”民主党人还将能够处理那些帮助他们在11月赢得选举的地方议题。在得克萨斯州，共和党州长格雷格·阿博特动用公立学校资金资助私立基督教学校的学券计划，在民主党的胜选中发挥了重要作用，如今该计划将被提上废除日程。
“With that majority, Gov. Keisha Lance Bottoms is going to be able to expand Medicaid,” Charlie Bailey, chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said about Democrats winning the state House. “Like, this is the consequence. This is why we do what we do.”Democrats will also be able to address the local issues that helped them win election in November. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan to take public school money to fund private Christian schools played a major role in Democratic wins and will now be on the chopping block.
刚刚击败阿博特的民主党候任州长吉娜·伊诺霍萨已将她过渡团队中阿博特学券计划的主要共和党反对者纳入其中，民主党议员也正在筹划废除该计划的立法。
Democratic Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa, who just ousted Abbott, already named the leading GOP opponent of Abbott’s vouchers to her transition team, and Democratic lawmakers are planning legislation to repeal it.
得克萨斯州民主党州众议员萨尔曼·博贾尼说：“选民已经表明他们不喜欢私立学校学券。这是个骗局。这是在为一个问题寻找解决方案。”据民主党州议员称，在全国各州，对数据中心的反对也是一个巨大的两党议题，为民主党争取到了支持，并可能在即将到来的立法会期中得到处理。
“Voters have spoken that they don’t like the private school voucher,” said Texas state Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Democrat. “It’s a scam. It’s a solution looking for a problem.”In states across the country, opposition to data centers was also a huge bipartisan issue that drove support to Democrats and will likely be addressed in the coming legislative sessions, according to Democratic state legislators.
“我们在民调中看到的一件事，无论是在佛罗里达州的哪个地方，都是数据中心，”佛罗里达州民主党众议员克里斯汀·亨肖夫斯基说。“即使该地区没有规划数据中心，也很有意思地看到，负担能力是第一大问题，但在许多地方，数据中心是第二大问题。”
“One of the things we saw in our polling, no matter where it was in the state of Florida, were data centers,” said Florida state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a Democrat. “Even if there wasn’t one planned in the area, it was very interesting to see that affordability was, like, No. 1, but in many places, data centers were No. 2.”
“我们在2010年遭受的损失，基本上要等到这次选举才恢复过来。”民主党在如此多的新地方获胜，获胜的震惊也导致了对守住这些新多数席位的即时担忧。他们获胜的规模以及由此引发的关注，意味着在许多地方，共和党要在一段时间内卷土重来将很困难。
“The losses we had in 2010, it basically took us until this election to recover.”Democrats won in so many new places that the shock of winning has also led to an immediate concern about holding these new majorities. The scale of their wins combined with the attention they’ve created mean it will be hard for Republicans to come back for some time in many places.
“我们在其中一些议院赢得了如此多的席位，即使在糟糕的一年，要扭转其中一些新的多数席位或那种优势也将很困难，”迈耶斯说。
“Some of these chambers we picked up so many seats that it is going to be hard even in a bad year to roll back some of those new majorities or those kinds of margins,” Meyers said.
在得克萨斯州——民主党最令人震惊、也是最重要的胜利发生地——竞选策略师认为，他们的胜利将吸引永久性的全国性投资，以保持控制权，并进一步将这个全美第二大州纳入该党的版图。
In Texas, the site of Democrats’ most shocking and important wins, campaign strategists see their victories attracting permanent national investment to keep control and further bring the nation’s second-biggest state in the party’s column.
“我们在没有太多全国性支持的情况下做到了这一点，没有人能否认得克萨斯州现在已进入视野，”得克萨斯州多数派政治行动委员会执行主任凯瑟琳·费舍尔说。“我们下一个周期的目标是做我们这个周期做的事，但要做得更大、更好。”民主党操盘手强调，他们今后的重点必须放在持久权力的重要性上，而2030年的重新划分选区将是决定谁掌握未来十年权力的关键。
“We did this without much national support, and no one can argue that Texas is now on the map,” said Katherine Fischer, the executive director of Texas Majority PAC. “Our goal for the next cycle is to do what we did this cycle, but even bigger and better.”Democratic Party operatives emphasized that their focus going forward has to be on the importance of durable power, and that 2030 redistricting will be key to deciding who holds it for the next decade.
“我们在2010年遭受的损失，基本上要等到这次选举才恢复过来，”鲁什说。“咱们别再让那种事发生了。”
“The losses we had in 2010, it basically took us until this election to recover,” Rusche said. “Let’s not do that again.”