Republican hold on U.S. state legislatures could slip in election

By Karen Pierog CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Republican Party's grip on U.S. state legislatures could loosen in next month's election as Democrats seek to link Republican candidates to the sinking fortunes of the party's White House candidate, Donald Trump. Republicans, who have dominated control of legislatures since the mid-term election in 2010, currently hold the majority in 67 of the country's 98 partisan legislative chambers, while Democrats have 31. More than 80 percent of the nation's 7,383 s