Unique local twists influenced the outcome in each county, but analysts said the GOP victories shared characteristics that defied national and regional political trends favoring Democrats.
"It's awful tough to nationalize a local election like this," said Ken Davis, Montgomery County's GOP chairman. "What's national about open space, cutting property taxes, and things like that? You can't equate the courthouse with the White House, and that's what they tried to do."
Voter turnout was relatively low - county courthouse races just don't draw the crowds presidential elections do - and low turnout tends to favor the status quo. Also, the county GOP machines are still good at the mechanics of turnout. Finally, in the closing days Republicans raised fears that Democrats would raise county taxes.
In Bucks and Chester Counties, Republican incumbents said there would be no tax increase for 2008, and the Montgomery County board majority announced a tax cut.
Still, Davis said the 6,023-vote margin by which the GOP kept its second seat on Montgomery County's three-member Board of Commissioners was a little too close for comfort.
County Democrats put on an optimistic face yesterday.
Joe Hoeffel, a former U.S. representative and county commissioner who won the minority seat Tuesday, boasted that the commissioners' race had been the closest ever. He said Democrats would be well-positioned in the new government because they had won a majority of row offices.
"We breached the wall of the Republican bastion," Hoeffel said at a news conference at Montgomery County Democratic Committee headquarters. "The day of Republican domination is over."
In particular, incoming Democratic controller Diane Morgan will join the three commissioners on the county salary board, giving Democrats an important voice on personnel decisions.
