The battle for control of the Virginia Legislature is still hanging in the balance, but the first round of returns from Tuesday’s off-year elections delivered one clear message: Abortion rights are popular, no matter when or where they are on the ballot.
With votes still being counted, here are a few early election night takeaways on a strong night for Democrats:
As Ohio goes, so goes the nation? Already a proven political winner for Democrats, abortion rights further solidified their place as a driving force in next year’s elections when voters in Ohio, an increasingly conservative state that voted twice for Trump, passed a ballot measure on Tuesday enshrining them in the state constitution.
Red, blue and purple states alike have green-lit similar proposals, solidifying a trend that defies partisan expectations and could have an outsized influence on next year’s federal elections.
In the end, though, Ohio Republicans might have gotten off easy. Their referendum took place now, during an off-year with no voting for statewide office or president. Other state Republican parties might not be so lucky.
Democrat Andy Beshear won reelection in Kentucky. But who lost? Andy Beshear won a second term on Tuesday in a state that Trump carried by more than 25 points in 2020.
Now the real fight begins.
Endorsed by Trump but often described as McConnell’s protégé, Daniel Cameron’s defeat will stir a lot of finger-pointing within the Republican Party. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was directing his at the former president shortly after the polls closed, calling the result “another loss for Trump.”
Trump will likely take a different view of the matter, but the reality might be that neither high-ranking Republican Party leader had a direct effect on the Kentucky electorate, which has routinely given Beshear high marks for his work and appears to have been concerned about Cameron’s stance on abortion.
History-making wins in Rhode Island and Philadelphia. Government will look a little more like the governed after Tuesday night’s results are all in.
To start, Democrat Gabe Amo is the projected winner of Rhode Island’s special congressional election. He will be the first Black person to represent the state in Congress.
And in Philadelphia, former city councilmember Cherelle Parker will become the first woman to lead the City of Brotherly Love.
She’ll be the city’s fourth Black mayor – and the 100th in its long history.
Read more on election takeaways.