Democrats governor up

Democrats won a majority of governorships on Tuesday for the first time since 1994, winning a historic victory in Massachusetts, which elected its first African American governor, only the second black governor in any state since Reconstruction.

Democrats tooks posts from Republicans in New York, Ohio, Arkansas and Colorado. And in a chain of Great Lakes states, Democratic incumbents held off GOP challenges.

Republican incumbents held onto governorships in California and Texas, and in Florida, Republican Charlie Crist beat Democratic Rep. Jim Davis in the battle to succeed Republican Jeb Bush, President Bush’s brother. The governor was prevented under the state’s term-limits law from running for a third term.

But the big news of the night was in states where voters chose Democrats to replace outgoing Republicans. Massachusetts and Ohio elected their first Democratic governors since 1986, New Yorkers their first since 1990, when Gov. Mario M. Cuomo won his third term.

Declaring victory in Boston, Deval Patrick, a top civil rights official in the Clinton Administration, told a boisterous crowd of supporters: “You better believe we can!

“This was not a victory just for me, this was not a victory just for Democrats, this was a victory for hope,” said Patrick. In New York, state Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer beat his Republican opponent, John Faso, in the race to succeed George E. Pataki, a Republican who chose not to run for a fourth term in Albany but who is considering a presidential bid in 2008.

In Ohio, with Republican Gov. Robert A. Taft mired in a corruption scandal, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland beat Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. Strickland becomes the first Democrat elected governor in Ohio in 20 years.

Democrats also held onto three governors’ posts in the Great Lakes region.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich won reelection, as did Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who turned back a strong GOP challenge from Amway millionaire Dick DeVos, who pumped $35 million of his own money into his campaign. Wisconsin Gov. James Doyle defeated Republican Rep. Mark Green.

Heading into election day, Republican governors outnumbered Democrats 28 to 22. .As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Democrats secured the governor’s chair in at least 28 states.

Democrats were also predicting gains in state legislatures, where partisan control can influence the redrawing of congressional districts.

Republicans control both chambers in 20 states, the Democrats in 19, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Control is split in 10, and Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature is nonpartisan.

Ten new governors were guaranteed to emerge from the elections -- that many states had open seats due to retirements, term limits and, in Alaska, a primary defeat for the incumbent.

But in California, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed an easy victory.

And in Texas, Republican Gov. Rick Perry fended off three challengers, including the popular musician and comedian Kinky Friedman.In Colorado, Democrat Bill Ritter defeated GOP Rep. Bob Beauprez in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Bill Owens, who served two terms.

In Nevada, five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons of Reno was locked in a surprisingly tight race with Democratic State Senator Dina Titus for the seat vacated by Republican Kenny Guinn.

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sam.howe.verhovek@latimes.com