After the 2006 elections, Democrats control several key governorships (including PA, NY, MI, IL, VA, OH, NJ, NC, CO, VA and WA) and many state legislatures. The Dems also recaptured congressional majority status inside the Beltway for the first time since 1994. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean tried a new "50-states strategy" approach to rebuilding the party since becoming DNC Chair in 2005, abandoning the old "targeted states" approach in favor of building a 50-state party organization
