Good Night For Dems As Virginia, Kentucky & Ohio Votes Go Their Way

The Democrats recorded a strong night of results in the 7 November off-year elections, winning control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, retaining the governorship of heavily-Republican Kentucky, and seeing Ohio enshrine the right to abortion in a citizen-sponsored measure. As was seen in the 2022 mid-terms, the issue of the US Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, returning powers on regulating abortion laws to states, has continued to impact state-level races.

• In Virginia, the Democrats retained a narrow majority in the Senate and won a majority in the House of Delegates. The result will come as a blow to Governor Glenn Youngkin, who had been talked of in some circles as a potential late entry into the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
• In Kentucky, a state that voted for Donald Trump over Joe Biden by a margin of 25.9%, incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear defeated his Republican challenger state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
• In Ohio, two citizen-sponsored initiatives went in favour of the Democrats. Issue 1, amending the state constitution to include the "right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” passed with 56.6% of the vote. Issue 2, supporting the legalisation of recreational marijuana, was largely backed by Democrat politicians and opposed by Republicans, and passed with 57.0% of the vote.