Louis Jacobson is a GOVERNING contributor.E-mail:
firstname.lastname@example.org By now, everyone knows that the
GOP took control of the House of Representatives on Nov. 2. But
overlooked in the blizzard of election results was that as the
GOP flipped 60-odd House seats, the party also took the lead in
an obscure but potentially crucial measure: the number of
Republican-controlled state delegations in the U.S. House. If a
presidential election results in a tie in the electoral college
-- or if any candidate fails to secure a majority of electoral
votes -- the election is thrown into the House. If that happens,
the House decides on a state-by-state basis, with every state
casting one vote, regardless of size. Prior to the 2010
election, the Democrats held a 33-16 lead over the GOP in state
delegations (including the District of Columbia, which has three
electoral votes for president). The remaining two states had
split delegations. In the blink of an eye, the GOP essentially
reversed that lead. Today, the GOP