Factbox-US Election Day results: Governor races, abortion rights and more

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Peter Range, the executive director of Ohio Right to Life, speaks to members of the Clark County Republican Party about the state’s upcoming referendum on abortion rights, in Springfield, Ohio, U.S., October 26, 2023. REUTERS/Joseph Ax/File Ph

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.

Here are some early results and other contests that Republicans and Democrats are watching 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 is running for reelection against Democrat Brandon Presley, a former small-town mayor and current utility regulator for Northern Mississippi. While Reeves has led the polls in the deeply conservative Southern state, Presley, the second cousin of singer Elvis Presley, outraised him over the course of the campaign, with strong backing from the Democratic Governors Association.

In political ads, Reeves has 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 has said he does not support gender-affirming care for minors, or transgender girls playing girls’ sports, and is running on the promise of tax cuts and expanding Medicaid. Both candidates are anti-abortion and support the state’s ban on all abortions except in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother’s life.

VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

All 40 seats in Virginia’s Senate and 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for grabs. Democrats looked poised to keep their advantage in the Senate, according to early results, and were hoping to win a majority in the House, where Republicans currently have a 52-48 edge.

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. However, Republicans have promised to pass a 15-week abortion ban – supported by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin – if they take control of the legislature.

NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE

Republicans are 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.

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 answered a ballot question about whether the state should legalize marijuana for recreational use. If approved, the statute would 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, a crowded field of candidates led by U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and state Senator John Whitmire, both Democrats, are competing to succeed the term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner, also a Democrat.

PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT

The race for a new state Supreme Court justice will not alter the liberal tilt of Pennsylvania’s highest court but could have future implications for abortion rights and election laws in the state.

Planned Parenthood endorsed Democratic candidate Daniel McCaffery for the 10-year position, while anti-abortion groups have backed the Republican candidate Carolyn Carluccio. Democrats have a 4-2 majority in the partisan state court, with one vacant seat to be filled in this election.