The Republicans: No Longer a National Party

The Republican Party essentially no longer exists in a key area of the nation: the Northeast. For our purposes here, the Northeast consists of the six New England states and the five MidAtlantic ones. Here's how the region shapes up politically:

--In the last four presidential elections, the Republicans have achieved one victory in the Northeast--NH in 2000. The Democrats have won 43, not counting carrying DC every time (which is a given).

--The northeastern states have 92 members of the House. Following Tuesday's GOP bloodbath in the region, the Democrats hold a 68-24 margin in them.

--Out of 22 northeastern senators, 17 are now Democrats and 5 are Republicans. Three of the Republicans are, moreover, considered non-conservatives.

--With the capture of governorships in New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts, the Democrats now hold 8 of the region's 11 governors. Moreover, Democrats made gains in the state legislatures of the region as well.

People talk about how the Democrats have pretty much disappeared in the South. Well, I'd say that judgment is premature. But the hardest mission in American politics today isn't the one the Democrats face in Dixie--it's the one the Republicans face from the Potomac to the Canadian border.