November 8, 2023 - There were a limited number of races in this year's election cycle, but where the outcomes going into Election Day were thought to be in question, one side generally came out smiling at the end of the day. Here is a summary of the key races and the issues that were decided yesterday:

Virginia - Both houses of the Commonwealth's legislature were up for grabs this year, with Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's pro-life and culture war agenda hanging in the balance. The GOP was hoping to win the Senate and keep the House red, but Virginia's Citizens flipped the script on those plans. Democrats maintained control of the Senate and took the House away from the Republicans, albeit by only a narrow margin.

Ohio - Voters in the Buckeye State approved two ballot initiatives that the far right elitists were opposed to:

Issue 1, which passed by over a half million votes and a 57%-43% margin, adds support of reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution. Specifically, the measure allows women to choose termination of their pregnancy up to the time of fetus viability (about 22-24 weeks) and, after that time period, allows for termination if it is required for the health of the woman. Despite the propaganda of the far right, which tried to claim erroneously that passage would allow abortions up to the scheduled day of delivery, voters were not fooled and the amendment passed overwhelmingly.
Issue 2 also passed by roughly a 14 point margin. It legalizes the recreational use of marijuana, which makes Ohio the 24th state to allow its Citizens to possess, use, and grow limited amounts of marijuana.

Kentucky - Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was re-elected, defeating Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron by a 52.5% - 47.5% margin. In addition to his strong economic record, his support of equal rights for all Kentuckians, and his leadership during the Covid crisis, the Governor campaigned against the state's extreme anti-abortion laws (no exceptions, even in the case of rape or incest), which Mr. Cameron supported. Well, sometimes; kind of; depending on who Mr. Cameron was talking to.

(Image of Governor Beshear from wave3.com)

Governor Beshear had won the 2019 gubernatorial race by a mere 5,000 votes, so this year's victory confirmed that Kentuckians approve of Mr. Beshear and the job he has done for the Commonwealth over the past four years.

Pennsylvania - The Democratic candidate was victorious in the race to fill an open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, defeating the GOP nominee who had stated earlier in the year she didn't know who had won the 2020 Presidential election. Democrats also flipped three seats on intermediate appellate courts and won offices or control of commissions that administer elections in four large counties. All of these results could be critical in 2024 if a certain former President were to be on the ballot again and make another attempt to overturn the will of the voters.

New Jersey - Going into Tuesday, Republicans had hoped that running on culture war issues would allow them to cut into the Democratic hold on the state legislature and possibly even flip one of the chambers, but that was not to be. Although we're still trying to confirm the final numbers, it appears the Democrats will hold their ten seat advantage in the State Senate and may have gained as many as five seats in the State Assembly (House).

Mississippi - Although some optimists held out hope that Democrat Brandon Presley might unseat incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves, the scandal-plagued Governor hung on to defeat Mr. Presley by 37,000 votes, 51.5% to 47%. Looks like the good people of Mississippi will go another four years without getting the health benefits of Medicaid expansion and the financial support of rural hospitals it would provide.

(See our story from earlier this year, "Expanding Medicaid Helps Rural America" for more details on how 40 states - not including Mississippi - have taken advantage of the federal funding available to expand Medicaid.)

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