Which candidates and issues won in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia?
Estimated reading time: 3m 12s
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Last Tuesday was Election Day, but you may not have gone to the polls. Never fear. Most of the country didn’t, because odd-year elections aren’t the norm for most states. But in places like Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, voters went to the booth to make their voices heard and get their stickers afterward. Kentucky reelected its Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, with a five-point lead over Republican candidate and state attorney general, Daniel Cameron. Despite his win, Beshear still faces an uphill battle in the state legislature. Both chambers remain solidly in Republican hands at least until statewide elections next year. In a bit of a mirror image to Kentucky, both chambers of Virginia’s state legislature now stand against Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Democrats flipped the House of Delegates and maintained control of the Senate, effectively blocking the governor from being able to pursue a 15-week abortion ban he made a major part of his campaign in 2021. Virginia’s prohibition on governors running for consecutive terms means Youngkin won’t have the opportunity to redeem himself when the next gubernatorial election cycle rolls around in 2025. Ohio didn’t have a gubernatorial race to drive its citizens to the polls, but it didn’t stop them from turning out. The Buckeye State had two major issues on the ballot, though: abortion access and recreational marijuana. Voters decided in favor of a constitutional right to abortion and to legalize cannabis usage for adults 21 and up. Ohio is now the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana. Ohioans will be able to buy and consume cannabis products starting December 7. |
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(Image credit: David Petkiewicz/Cleveland.com) |
Rather than looking back, this year’s election is an opportunity to look ahead. This not-quite-midterm trip to the polls already has people asking, “What does it mean for 2024?” Given the size of the nation, it’s not possible to extrapolate what a gubernatorial race in Mississippi featuring a cousin of Elvis Preseley or a mayoral race in Philadelphia means for Joe Biden vs. a yet-to-be-decided Republican candidate about a year from now. What will happen next year is truly anyone’s guess. None of the predictions I’ve seen so far have accounted for a potential October Surprise. But one point of interest that people have latched onto is Kentucky’s status as a political bellwether: The party of the winning gubernatorial candidate has matched the party of the winning presidential candidate in the last six elections. Even though Republicans control the rest of the state government, Beshear’s popularity could provide a blueprint for Democrats competing in red states next year. |
(Image credit: Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press) |
Off-year elections don’t draw the highest turnout, but they do give a glimpse into what’s on voters’ minds ahead of national elections. If this year was any indication, shoring up abortion access, or at least stopping any further erosion, will be top of mind for millions of people heading into the booth on November 5, 2024. How both parties act on that knowledge in their quest for votes is anyone’s guess. The countdown is on: 358 days to go. |
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That's all I've got for this week!
Thanks for reckoning with me, Aria |
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