US Election Day results: Governor races, abortion rights and more
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[November 08, 2023]
By Gabriella Borter
(Reuters) -U.S. voters on Tuesday cast ballots to choose governors in
Kentucky and Mississippi, decide legislative control in Virginia and New
Jersey, and determine whether the Ohio state constitution should protect
abortion rights.
Republicans and Democrats were watching results in key races for clues
about the 2024 elections.
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR
Democratic Governor Andy Beshear won reelection, Edison Research
projected, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron in
a state that voted for Republican Donald Trump by more than 25
percentage points in 2020.
One of the few Democratic governors in Republican-leaning states,
Beshear had touted his record of bringing jobs to Kentucky, supporting
public education, expanding healthcare access and setting strict
policies to curb the spread of COVID-19 on the campaign trail. As
governor, he has vetoed legislation banning abortion and
gender-affirming care for transgender youth, although those vetoes were
overridden by the Republican-dominated legislature.
MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR
Republican Governor Tate Reeves won his bid for reelection against
Democrat Brandon Presley, a second cousin of singer Elvis Presley and a
utility regulator for Northern Mississippi, Edison Research projected.
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Reeves had consistently led the polls in the deeply conservative
Southern state, which has not elected a Democrat as governor in 20
years. He accused Presley of being backed by out-of-state liberals and
opposing bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth like the
one Reeves signed into law in February. Presley had said he did not
support gender-affirming care for minors and ran on the promise of tax
cuts and expanding Medicaid. Both candidates said they were
anti-abortion.
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
All 40 seats in Virginia's Senate and 100 seats in the House of
Delegates were up for grabs. Democrats held control of the Senate and
won control of the House, the Associated Press reported.
The Democrats' sweep thwarts the possibility of a new 15-week abortion
ban - supported by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin - that Republicans
had vowed to pass had they won control of the legislature. Virginia, a
state that swings between Democratic and Republican control, is the only
state in the U.S. South that has not enacted further limits on abortion
since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE
Republicans were fighting for control of either legislative chamber in
solidly Democratic New Jersey, where all seats in the General Assembly
and Senate are in play. Republicans have gained ground since 2021, when
they flipped seven seats, and are campaigning on issues ranging from the
economy to parental rights in K-12 education. The results were still
coming in Tuesday night, with the late reception deadline for mail-in
ballots likely to cause a delay.
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Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves speaks at the Conservative
Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., August 5,
2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File photo
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OHIO ABORTION RIGHTS
Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution,
Edison Research projected, which will render moot a six-week
abortion limit signed into law by Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
The ban is currently on hold pending litigation at the conservative
state Supreme Court.
The success of Ohio's ballot measure initiative, which put the
question of abortion rights to voters directly, adds to a string of
ballot measure victories for abortion rights supporters since the
Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It also inspires hope among
Democrats nationwide that the issue will continue to galvanize
voters in 2024.
OHIO MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Ohio voters also approved a ballot measure legalizing marijuana for
recreational use. The statute will legalize, regulate and tax
marijuana for adults over 21, expanding on the currently legal
medicinal use of cannabis.
MAYORAL RACES
Democrat Cherelle Parker was elected mayor of Philadelphia, beating
Republican David Oh. A former city council member, she will succeed
Democrat Jim Kenney after he reaches the limit of his term and
become the first woman to serve as the city's mayor.
In Houston, U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and state Senator
John Whitmire, both Democrats, advanced to a Dec. 9 run-off after no
candidate in the crowded field won a majority of the vote. They will
compete to succeed the term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner, also a
Democrat.
PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT
Democratic candidate Daniel McCaffery won the open seat on
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press,
defeating Republican Carolyn Carluccio for the 10-year position. His
victory widens the Democratic majority on the state's highest court
to 5-2. The race had been closely watched for the implications it
may have on abortion rights and election laws in the state.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and
Lincoln Feast.)
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