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PalletCentral • September-October 2020 11 Just as controlling the White House, U.S. House, and Senate is the trifecta for each party, the same goes on the state level. The incredibly talented folks at the indispensable Ballotpedia go in depth into which states have party trifectas and supermajority trifectas as well those with a triplex – when a party in a state holds the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Former Clinton White House political director Doug Sosnik is reminding clients that with roughly 80 percent of the country's state legislative seats up this fall ahead of redistricting next year, this is a pivotal election. State-legislative-elections guru Tim Storey of the Denver-based National Conference of State Legislatures points out that the extent of presidential- election victories closely correlates with gains and losses on the state legislative level. But beyond the implications of down ballot offices for policy, the election process, and redistricting, it should be remembered that a party's health and future is dependent on the development of a farm team. Far more often than not, those who hold the highest political offices came up the ranks of elective office (Trump is a notable exception). A wipeout or near- wipeout election can cost a party the better part of a generation of future leaders. For Democrats, 1980, 1994, 2010, and 2014 were massacres, just as Republicans took big hits in 1974, 2006, and 2018. Like a farmer losing seed corn, it's a costly loss. "If you are a political party, you never want to have a really bad election," I once wrote. "But if you're going to have one, you really don't want to have it in a year that ends in a zero." The last election before the decennial reapportionment and redistricting is key, as Democrats learned in 2010 when their state legislative losses provided destructive aftershocks felt for an entire decade afterward. What does this mean for the country and the pallet business? Those are two very different discussions, the former for discussion over coffee, the latter information to prepare your business. Pallet businesses are just trying to survive, I get that. But if you see storm clouds ahead, it is good to be prepared. Candidates aside, the policies of the Democratic Party favor workers, higher taxes to pay for social and worker programs, and worker protection. These aren't bad things, in fact they are good for workers. Just know that the past four years of less oversight by Federal agencies will change under a Biden administration. In states that have the potential to flip from one party to the other, you will also likely see changes accordingly. Politics aside, the policies of each party are fairly clear – plan accordingly. A wipeout or near-wipeout election can cost a party the better part of a generation of future leaders. Patrick Atagi is vice president, advocacy and external affairs at NWPCA. He also serves as executive director of the NWPCA PAC. He may be reached at 703-519-6104 or patagi@ palletcentral.com. Phyllis Graber Jensen/Photo taken at Bates College Charlie Cook, political analyst, speaks on the political race.

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