Voters in Virginia and New Jersey picked Republicans to fill the top posts in each state during Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections. However, the new GOP governors face different political climates in the wake of state elections for their respective legislatures, reported Land Line Magazine.
Virginia governor-elect Bob McDonnell may find passing the transportation initiatives he discussed during the campaign a bit easier than his New Jersey counterpart, with at least one state chamber held by a majority in his own party. The balance of political power swung more firmly into GOP favor in Virginia’s House of Delegates, increasing the previous 53-45 margin to a stronger 59-39 position. Democrats retained a narrow 21-19 margin in Senate seats, with that chamber’s next elections due in 2011.
McDonnell’s plans for the Commonwealth including tolls for I-85 and I-95, benefiting from private-public partnerships and redirecting funds toward transportation. He has indicated he doesn’t favor increasing taxes. He has also pledged to reopen the rest stops in Virginia, all of which had previously been closed due to budget cuts.
In the Garden State, governor-elect Chris Christie may face steeper opposition, if party politics come into play. With both the house and senate chambers of New Jersey in Democrat control before the election, that party lost only one house seat, retaining a 47-33 margin over Christie’s party. The rival political entities divided two senate seats up for grabs, allowing the Democrats to hold onto a 23-17 advantage. During his campaign, Christie said he opposed an increased fuel tax to pay for improvements to transportation infrastructure.
Source: Land Line Magazine: Special Report: What Election Day means for trucking
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