2023 Election Results Summary

On November 7, 2023, Americans cast their ballots in many local and state elections. There was no presidential election or regular congressional election this year. But there were several important state races. Voters selected local school board members and leaders of local government too. There were also some state level ballot issues that were decided. Here btw looks at the results in some closely watched contests. 

Kentucky Re-elects Beshear 

Andy Beshear won a second term as Kentucky’s governor on Tuesday. Beshear is a Democrat and is the only Democrat holding a state-level political office in Kentucky. Even though he is a Democrat in a state government dominated by Republicans, Beshear has maintained popularity with the state voters. During his first term, he was a visible presence during several natural disasters in Kentucky. He also comes from a well-known political family in Kentucky. His father served as governor from 2007 to 2015. 

Polls before the election showed Beshear held a lead against his Republican opponent, Daniel Cameron. So, many political observers were not surprised by this result. Beshear campaigned strongly against the restrictions of women’s reproductive rights that were supported by Cameron.  Exit polls (questions asked to voters after the election) suggest that this issue motivated Democratic voters. Beshear won 52 percent of the vote compared to Cameron’s 47 percent. 

Ballot Issue in Ohio 

North of Kentucky, reproductive rights were also the focus of a ballot issue for Ohio voters. Issue 1 asked the state’s citizens to decide if the right to an abortion should be added to the Ohio constitution as a new amendment. Issue 1 passed, receiving 56.6 percent of the ballots cast. Ohio is the most recent state to establish reproductive rights at the state level following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) Supreme Court ruling.  

The Dobbs decision overturned the federal protections for women’s reproductive rights that were established by the 1974 Roe v. Wade decision. Since the Dobbs ruling, several states have responded by passing state laws protecting abortion rights.  These include Vermont, California, Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington. 

Mississippi Reelects Republicans 

Republican candidates saw more success in Mississippi races for state government offices. The incumbent (existing) governor Tate Reeves won his reelection race. He secured 51 percent of the votes and defeated Democrat Brandon Pressley, who only won 47 percent. There has not been a Democratic governor in Mississippi for the last 20 years. The incumbent lieutenant governor, Delbert Hosemann and the incumbent secretary of State Michael Watson also beat their Democratic Party challengers easily. The lieutenant governor candidate for the Democrats, Ryan Grover, received less than 40 percent of the votes cast. Ty Pinkins, who was the Democrats candidate for secretary of State, also won less than 40 percent of the ballots. Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch also beat Democrat Greta Kemp Martin in the state’s attorney general race. 

Virginia Democrats Gain Seats in Legislature 

In Virginia, voters increased the Democratic party’s control of the state’s government. Before the election, Democrats controlled the state Senate, but Republicans had a majority in the Virginia House of Delegates. All seats in both the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates were up for reelection this November.  Democrats maintained  control of the state enate–21 to 19. The bigger news for the Democrats was that the party took control of the House of Delegates. Democrats now have a 51 to 45 majority.  

Republicans still control Virginia’s executive branch, however. Governor Glenn Youngkin was elected Virginia’s governor in 2022. He traveled across Virginia to support many Republican candidates. And he helped raise campaign funds for many of them as well. But his efforts did not lead to enough Republican victories. Now the governor must try to lead the state without a Republican majority in the legislature.  . 

A New Mayor for Philadelphia 

Cherelle Parker made history in the city of Philadelphia. She is the first female mayor of Philadelphia. Her previous experience includes serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature and she was a teacher before entering politics. It was going to be a historic election no matter who was elected. Had the voters chosen her opponent, David Oh, he would have become the city’s first Asian American mayor. 

Dig Deeper Use the Internet to learn more about state and local races in your community that were decided last Tuesday.  Create a table that summarizes what you researched and ask your teacher if you can display the information in the classroom.