8:48 am ET, November 8, 2023
Democrats had a big night as abortion rights took center stage. Meet the election on Tuesday
From CNN’s Gregory Creek
States and cities across the U.S. held elections on Tuesday, the last major election day, leading up to the start of presidential elections in January.
For all the sound and fury surrounding yesterday’s elections, there was one clear signal: Abortion rights are politically popular, no matter where or when they’re on the ballot.
That’s — no matter how you slice it — good news for Democrats as the parties strategize ahead of the 2024 election.
Governor Glenn Young – Virginia Republican who believed he could overcome one of the most intractable problems in American politics with his promise of “reasonable” abortion restrictions. Not leading the GOP-controlled Legislature In the Commonwealth, it denied him party control of the state Senate and quickly ended both his plan for a 15-week abortion ban and rumors that he might pursue a 2024 presidential bid.
Meanwhile, voters in Ohio said decisively Months after they rejected another measure that would have made it harder to protect abortion rights, they wanted a constitutionally protected right to an abortion on the ballot.
And in Kentucky, The The Democratic governor was defeated A state attorney general with close ties to her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, made abortion a sticking point after a campaign.
As Ohio Goes, So Goes the Nation? Tuesday night’s election results won’t change the equation for Biden in 2024, given Ohio’s recent presidential election history. But Sen. How about Sherrod Brown? The Ohio Democrat faces a tough re-election bid next year, but results in the Buckeye State could give him a boost.
Already a proven political winner for Democrats, abortion rights further cemented their place as a driving force in next year’s elections, with voters in Ohio, an increasingly conservative state that twice voted for Trump, passing a referendum on Tuesday. Red, blue and purple states have similar plans to green, confirming a trend that defies partisan expectations and could have a big influence on next year’s federal elections. In the end, Ohio Republicans could have easily walked away. Their vote now comes during a year without voting for statewide office or the president. Other state Republicans may not be so lucky.
Glenn Younkin and Virginia hit a wall: As Young’s 2024 team hit the road on Tuesday, Virginia voters denied the governor and his party the legislative majority they wanted. That means the 15-week abortion ban, which Young championed as a “reasonable” solution, he said, in last year’s Roe v. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Wade will quell the anger of Americans who disagree. That could account for rumors that Youngin, who has always insisted he has no ambitions to run for northern Virginia, will try to make a late entry into the 2024 GOP presidential race. The logic there turned on the governor’s ability to form a coalition that includes the far-right, center-right and pure centrist swing voters — or something like the one that won him the governor’s mansion in 2021.
Democrat Andy Beshear wins re-election in Kentucky. But who lost? Andy Beshear won for the second time in 2020 that Trump has won by more than 25 points in 2020. Now the real fight begins. The defeat of Daniel Cameron, often described as a supporter of McConnell despite being endorsed by Trump, will cause a lot of finger-wagging within the Republican Party. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took aim at the former president shortly after the vote, concluding it was “another loss for Trump.”
History-making wins in Rhode Island and Philadelphia After the results come in on Tuesday night, the government will look a little more like a government. To begin with, Cape Amo, a Democrat, is expected to win Rhode Island’s special congressional election. He was the first black to represent the state in Congress. And in Philadelphia, former City Councilwoman Cheryl Parker is the first woman to lead the City of Brotherly Love.
