Celebrating Strength in Numbers, GOP Governors Seek Power Shift

Republican governors asserted Monday that they hold the key to the country’s prosperity and demanded that Congress give them the power to institute sweeping economic and social reforms.

Flexing their political muscle after gaining victories in this month’s elections, 30 Republican governors and governors-elect maintained that they had won a broad mandate from the people to institute less-centralized government.

“On Election Day the people of America said, ‘We’ve had it with Washington,’ ” said Virginia Gov. George F. Allen, who is host of the three-day meeting of the Republican Governors Assn.

“We have as governors the duty and responsibility to lead the way in bringing back to the people the principled, trustworthy, accountable and non-interfering government that they want,” he said.

One proposal under discussion at Williamsburg is a constitutional amendment to allow three-quarters of the states acting together to repeal what Allen called “improper or intrusive federal laws.”

Republicans won majorities in the Senate and the House for the first time in 40 years in the Nov. 8 elections. They also captured at least 11 governorships from the Democrats and now hold at least 30 states, the most they have controlled since 1970.

The Democrats control 17 states and seem likely to add Alaska and Maryland, where close elections were still in dispute Monday. One state was won by an independent.

The Williamsburg gathering has taken on the character of a huge victory celebration. Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour received a standing ovation after laying out in detail the dimensions of the Republican landslide at all levels of government and in all parts of the country.

He attributed a great part of the success to the example of Republican incumbent governors who cut taxes and shrank state governments. Barbour noted that all 10 Republican governors up for reelection won, seven of them with more than 60% of the vote.

Incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is to meet with the governors today.

On Monday, Gingrich agreed with the assessment that the stage could be set for a major transfer of political power from the federal government to the 50 states.

“My sense is that there’s an opportunity for a new federalism that could be very dramatic and very bold,” Gingrich said at a news conference after returning from a weekend cruise financed by the conservative National Review Institute.

Gingrich said he looked forward to cooperation from President Clinton and noted that the White House also is working to consolidate departments and reduce overhead.