The 2001 United States elections were held on November 6 of that year (with some exceptions for local elections and other special elections across the country). The 2001 recession was a dominant issue throughout the year as well as the September 11 attacks and subsequent war on terror.
Despite President George W. Bush's strong popularity amongst the American public due to the September attacks, the Democratic Party flipped the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey, a typical showing for an opposition party in off-year elections.
Federal elections
No elections to either the Senate or House were regularly scheduled to occur in 2001.
During the 2001 gubernatorial elections, the governorships of two states and one territory were up for election.
Going into the elections, Republicans held the Governorships of twenty-nine states and one territory, Democrats held the governorships of nineteen states, four territories, and the Mayorship of the District of Columbia, and two governorships were held by incumbents of neither party. Democrats gained the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey. However, Republicans retained the governorship of the Northern Mariana Islands. Thus the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats was changed from 29–19 to 27–21.
Other statewide elections
The offices of Lieutenant Governor (in Virginia as a separate election and the Northern Mariana Islands on the same ticket as the gubernatorial nominee) and state Attorney General in the former were up for election. There were no other statewide elective offices in New Jersey open with the office of governor aside.
In 2001, seats in both houses of the New Jersey and Virginia legislatures, and both houses of the territorial legislature of the Northern Marina Islands were up for election.
Republicans maintained control of both houses of the Virginia legislature, while Democrats won control of the New Jersey General Assembly, and turned the state Senate from Republican to tied.[1][2]
Local elections
Mayoral elections
During 2001, several Major American cities held mayoral elections in that year, including the following:
Albuquerque: former Mayor Martin Chavez (D) was elected to his previous job to serve a second term.
Boston: Incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino (D), breaking a campaign pledge he had made in his first election in 1993 to serve only two terms, was re-elected to a third term.
Jersey City: Former Public Safety Director of Hudson County Glenn D. Cunningham (D) won an open seat election to succeed outgoing Mayor Bret Schundler (R). Cunningham became Jersey City's first Black mayor.