Democrats Hang On to City Hall

It was a good night for Democratic mayors last night: incumbents in San Francisco, Houston and Pittsburgh all comfortably won reelection. In addition, Philadelphia elected Michael Nutter on promises to reduce violence, and Baltimore gave a full term to Sheila Dixon, the city's first female mayor, who took office earlier this year when her predecessor became governor of Maryland.

The Democrats also captured the upper house of Virginia's state legislature after a decade in the minority, picking up four seats despite a strong anti-immigration campaign from the local Republican party. Dems picked up seats in diversifying areas of the state near larger cities, while the GOP held onto more rural constituencies. (More Eleciton 2007 stories.)