Recapping Election Day 2023
Image: Tierney Cross/Bloomberg
On Tuesday, millions of Americans voted in elections to determine new governors, lawmakers, and state Supreme Court justices across the country, as well as on ballot measures related to abortion and marijuana.
Here’s how the results shook out:
🏥🌿 Ohio: Residents voted 57%-43% to amend the state Constitution and enshrine the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion and contraception. In a separate ballot measure, Ohioans also voted 57%-43% in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana statewide.
🏛️🔵 Virginia: Voters flipped the state House from Republican to Democratic control, and preserved a Democratic majority in the state Senate. The results came after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) promised to pass conservative policies in areas including abortion, taxes, and education if the GOP won control of both chambers.
🗳️ Governorships: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) was narrowly re-elected to a second term over GOP challenger Daniel Cameron, the state’s first Black attorney general. In Mississippi, incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves (R) narrowly secured a second term over Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, a public service commissioner and distant cousin of Elvis.
🇺🇸 Elsewhere: In Pennsylvania, Dan McCaffery (D) won an open seat on the state Supreme Court after campaigning to uphold abortion rights, while Philadelphia elected Cherelle Parker (D) as the city’s first female mayor.
- In Rhode Island, Gabe Amo (D) became the state’s first Black member of Congress after winning a special election.
- St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, saw 27-year-old Nadia Mohamed become the first Somali American elected as mayor of a US city.
- In New York, Yusef Salaam (D), one of the exonerated members of the "Central Park Five," won a city council seat in Harlem.
📊 Flash poll (long-form): What are your thoughts on the 2023 election results across the country? We’ll share the most thought-provoking and insightful responses on Monday.
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Republicans continue to lose elections when abortion is a main focus, which bodes well for Democrats heading into 2024 with abortion remaining a key national issue following the fall of Roe v. Wade.
- Others contend the 2023 election results show a majority of Americans are clearly exhausted from the chaos and culture wars that Trump and his MAGA followers have promoted during the past eight years.
- “Voters sought balance and rewarded competence in off-year elections” –WaPo Editorial Board
- “Across the nation, Election Day results show that voters care about diversity and democracy” –Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board
- “Tuesday Was Great for Democrats. It Doesn’t Change the Outlook for 2024” –Nate Cohn, NY Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that the 2023 election results show Republicans currently have a branding problem when it comes to the twin issues of abortion and MAGA, and its future choices are either unpalatable compromises or more nights in the political wilderness.
- Others contend Republicans clearly lost the 2023 election across the board, but the end results were still within a reasonable margin, signaling that the GOP is still in decent shape heading into the 2024 election season.
- “Are Republicans Tired of All the Losing?” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “A Lackluster Election Night” –National Review Editorial Board
- “Election Night 2023 shows Republicans still haven’t figured out how to handle abortion” –NY Post Editorial Board
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