GOP makes gains in the South

With a presidential campaign only months away, Republicans picked up two governorships in the South, ousting Mississippi's Democratic incumbent and seizing Kentucky's top job for the first time in 32 years.\nGOP Washington lobbyist Haley Barbour unseated one-term Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, while in Kentucky, three-term Republican Rep. Ernie Fletcher defeated Democratic Attorney General Ben Chandler.\nPresident Bush loomed large in both campaigns, and he's sure to claim a boost from the victories. He stumped for both GOP candidates, while Democrats in Kentucky tied their opponent to Bush's economic policies and Musgrove dismissed his challenger as a "Washington insider."\nBarbour, a former head of the Republican National Committee who said his connections would help Mississippi, told a crowd of supporters: "Get ready to accentuate the positive."\nWith 95 percent of precincts reporting, Barbour got 53 percent to Musgrove's 45 percent. With 100 percent of precincts reporting in Kentucky, Fletcher, a three-term congressman, defeated Chandler, polling 55 percent, or 593,489 votes, to the Democrat's 45 percent, or 484,931 votes.\nDemocrats saw a few bright spots. Philadelphia's Democratic Mayor John Street handily defeated Republican businessman Sam Katz, 59 percent to 41 percent. And Democrats took control of the New Jersey Legislature, breaking a 20-20 tie in the state Senate and defeating the GOP's top Senate leader.\nBut in the Kentucky and Mississippi races, campaigns tried out strategies that could play out in next year's presidential race. And Republicans were already crowing.\n"The Democrat strategy was negative attacks and tying Ernie Fletcher to President Bush and making this race a referendum on the president's economic policies," Republican National Chairman Ed Gillespie said. "The Democrats had their referendum and got their answer."\nMississippi Democrats criticized Barbour for his connections and years spent in Washington as Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other top GOP officials came to campaign for him -- and as Musgrove distanced himself from national Democrats.\nIn Kentucky, party activists argued that a vote for Chandler would tell the White House its economic policy is a failure.\nRepublicans went into the election holding seven of 11 governorships in the South, having turned out Democratic chief executives in Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia last year. With Arnold Schwarzenegger's victory in California last month and victories for Fletcher and Barbour, Republicans will hold 29 governorships nationwide.\nOne more governor will be elected this year, also in the South. The race to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Mike Foster goes before Louisiana voters Nov. 15. Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco will face Republican Bobby Jindal, a former health policy adviser in the Bush administration.\nRacial issues flared in both states -- Musgrove ran ads reminding voters of a divisive and unsuccessful 2001 referendum to change the state flag to remove a Confederate emblem, and Election Day brought claims of intimidation at largely black precincts. Kentucky Democrats complained about a GOP plan to put observers at black precincts, but no problems materialized.\nMusgrove won his seat four years ago in Mississippi's closest governor's race ever. This year's contest broke state records; Barbour raised at least $10.6 million and Musgrove at least $8.5 million, with heavy support from national parties.