Elections

The forecasting models were right: As the polls closed last night it quickly became apparent that Republicans will gain control of the Senate, with at least 52 seats now held by the GOP. The implications for transportation are immense. To understand what they are, first let's look at what last night means for the prospects for a new transportation bill next year. Then we'll get inside the committees for a nitty-gritty look at the leadership shakeup.

Today, voters go to the polls to exercise their constitutional right to self-government -- if their state hasn’t disenfranchised them with onerous voter ID laws, that is, and if they can get motivated to turn out for a mid-term election. In 27 states, voters are choosing a governor. These elections are perhaps the most important in the country when it comes to transportation policy, because governors set the agenda for major infrastructure decisions and control the state DOTs that spend the lion's share of U.S. transportation funding.

Tuesday is Election Day, with races for statewide office and legislative seats in Albany taking up most of the ballot. While the general election tends to be less competitive than primary day in Democrat-dominated NYC, there are definitely some contests worth tracking tomorrow. To get caught up on the hot local races as well as the three ballot proposals New York voters will decide on, check out the Gotham Gazette election guide.

Next week, voters in Maryland and Wisconsin may tell state officials to keep their greedy paws off transportation funds. Louisianans will consider whether to create an infrastructure bank to help finance projects. Texans will weigh the wisdom of raiding the state’s Rainy Day Fund for -- what else? -- highways. And Massachusetts activists who have been fighting to repeal the state’s automatic gas tax hikes will finally get their day of reckoning.

With a week to go before the November 4 election, StreetsPAC has issued a new round of endorsements for candidates for state legislature. NYC's livable streets political action committee endorsed State Assembly and Senate incumbents from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

The big headline after yesterday's election was the bite Zephyr Teachout took from the left flank of Governor Andrew Cuomo's primary win. While the governor dominates the agenda in Albany, there were also important developments for livable streets in down ballot races.

The primary election is Tuesday, with a number of State Senate and Assembly seats up for grabs. Meanwhile, upstart Democrat Zephyr Teachout is, at the very least, seriously getting on Andrew Cuomo's nerves.

StreetsPAC released its second round of endorsements for the state legislature today (the first round is here), announcing its support for State Senate and Assembly candidates in Queens, Brooklyn, and Suffolk County.

With primaries coming in a few weeks, StreetsPAC today announced its first round of endorsements for state-level offices, and its first endorsements for candidates outside NYC.