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2012 Election: The Results Are In!
Read this article in PDF form here.
By Kristie L. Arslan
President Obama sailed to re-election in November, winning all but two of the states he carried in 2008. Little will change when the 113th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 9, 2013. The Senate will be controlled by the Democrats and the House of Representatives by the Republicans. The critical issues facing the country and America’s self-employed remain, with tax reform being of the utmost importance to ensuring continued economic recovery.
Electoral College
While many predicted a potential split between the Electoral College and the popular vote, President Obama secured the Electoral College handily and moved ahead of Gov. Romney in the popular vote. The President did experience a decrease in overall votes, but the data show that those voters mostly stayed home instead of swinging to Gov. Romney. In an unexpected turn of events, the swing states of Ohio, Virginia, and Florida had little impact on the election. Instead only two states, North Carolina and Indiana, flipped to Gov. Romney.
U.S. Senate
The Republican opportunity of picking up the Senate was deeply undermined by a vicious primary in Indiana and the selection of some less-than-stellar candidates, specifically in Missouri. Those trying to make a political comeback didn’t fare particularly well, with both Tommy Thompson, a popular four-term governor of Wisconsin, and Bob Kerrey, a popular former senator of Nebraska, losing comeback bids for the Senate. Both Thompson and Kerrey were defeated by women candidates, Sen.-elect Deb Fischer in Nebraska and the first openly gay Sen.-elect, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin.
U.S. House of Representatives
The Tea Party wave of 2010 was not re-created in 2012. In fact, roughly 10 first-term incumbents were defeated for re-election, all Republican. However, Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, holds an advantage of roughly 40 seats and will likely retain the speaker’s gavel. Of greatest interest will be the shifting of committee chairmanships and assignments.
Women Win Big!
The Senate will see two new female senators, and for the first time, there will be 20 women representing their states in the Senate, up from a previous high of 18 women in the Senate. Additionally, New Hampshire became the first state to have a full delegation of elected women: governor, two senators and two representatives.
The 2012 election will be analyzed for many months, but the real work has already begun. The NASE will aggressively champion the self-employed and work to address the continued tax inequities to ensure a level, competitive business environment that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation. We look forward helping your voice be heard in the year ahead.
Kristie L. Arslan is president and CEO of the NASE and provides critical insight to policymakers on issues affecting our nation’s self-employed. You can contact her at advocacy@NASE.org.
Read this article in PDF form here.