| -A reprint of CBS and NPR
ELECTIONS
Ohio votes in favor of amending the state constitution to enshrine abortion rights
More than 56% of voters supported the amendment. Various polls consistently show somewhere between 55% and 58% of Ohioans support at least some abortion rights, the Statehouse News Bureau reports.
The state’s Republican governor and GOP-led Congress opposed the amendment, and had tried unsuccessfully to change the state constitution to require a 60% threshold to pass constitutional amendments, as opposed to a simple majority.
Abortion is on the ballot in Ohio. The results could signal what’s ahead for 2024
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN AMERICA
Abortion is on the ballot in Ohio. The results could signal what’s ahead for 2024
The passage of this amendment effectively ends a state law that prohibits abortion once fetal cardiac activity can be detected — as early as six weeks into pregnancy — with no exceptions for rape or incest. It took effect for several months in 2022 but has been on hold as legal challenges worked their way up to the state Supreme Court.
Virginia Democrats regained control of the state legislature
The Virginia Capitol, pictured in Richmond. Democrats won both the state House and Senate on Tuesday.
All 140 legislative seats in Virginia were up for grabs this year. Democrats not only maintained control of the state Senate but also won enough seats to flip the House, giving them more power to push back on Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his agenda.
Don Scott, the minority leader of House Democrats — and favored to become the new House speaker — told NPR Democratic candidates had “the message, the candidates, and the momentum to put a stop to the extreme Republicans’ agenda.”
Virginia Democrats win full control of the state legislature, AP reports
ELECTIONS
Virginia Democrats win full control of the state legislature, AP reports
Abortion access played a big role in many of these campaigns, VPM reports. Virginia has become a sort of southern refuge for abortion rights since the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
Youngkin led Virginia Republican candidates in pushing for a ban on abortions starting at 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. He refrained from using the word ‘ban’, characterizing it instead as a “limit.”
Taylor, of the Cook Political Report, said this was “really a test of whether Republicans could sort of message this differently.”
While abortion rights were no doubt a motivating factor for many Virginia voters, it’s worth noting that there were many other campaign issues at play as well, including crime and the economy.
Kentucky reelected its Democratic governor
Kentucky incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is joined by his wife, Britainy Beshear (R), Kentucky Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman (L) and his family as he delivers his victory speech in Louisville on Tuesday.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won a second term in Kentucky, beating out Trump-endorsed Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Beshear’s popularity has remained high in a deeply red state, with voters praising him for his leadership during the COVID pandemic, deadly tornadoes, record flooding, and ice storms, Kentucky Public Radio reports.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has won reelection
ELECTIONS
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, has won reelection
Incumbent governors rarely lose, Taylor said — but it wasn’t just Beshear’s popularity that worked in his favor. She said he was able to “go on offense” on abortion because of the state’s stringent law, which doesn’t allow exceptions for rape and incest.
There are signs that legislation is out of touch with Kentucky voters, who last year rejected an amendment that would have added language to the state constitution making it harder to challenge abortion restrictions.
Does national politics trump all? Kentucky voters are about to find out
NATIONAL
Does national politics trump all? Kentucky voters are about to find out
Beshear campaigned in part on increasing abortion access, including by running an emotional campaign ad featuring a young woman who was raped by her stepfather at the age of 12.
Democrats celebrated Beshear’s win as bad news for Republicans in 2024. Kentucky Public Radio notes the winning parties of Kentucky’s last six gubernatorial elections have matched those of the following year’s presidential election winners.
Remembering in recent decades, Democrats have had a habit of falling in love with their red-state success stories, only to ditch them when they attempt to apply their experience in presidential primaries.
Mississippi reelected its Republican governor
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to members of the press in Flowood, Mississippi after winning reelection on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves won reelection in Mississippi — which no Democrat has governed in 20 years.
He defeated Brandon Pressley, a Democrat and one of the state’s three public service commissioners (not to mention a second cousin of the rock and roll legend Elvis). Pressley campaigned in part on expanding Medicaid in the state, which Reeves has refused to do.
Republican Tate Reeves wins reelection for governor in Mississippi
ELECTIONS
Republican Tate Reeves wins reelection for governor in Mississippi
Reeves’ popularity and fundraising prowess gave him a significant and expected advantage, but the race became more competitive than many had expected, as Mississippi Public Broadcasting reported.
Pressley campaigned in all 82 counties and focused especially on engaging Black voters (which Reeve’s Democratic opponent in 2019 had been criticized for not doing).
Taylor said the Mississippi race underscores how hard it is to beat incumbent governors.
“I think just the state’s dynamics won out in that regard,” she said.
Historic wins in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania
Cherelle Parker (L) will be the first woman to serve as Philadelphia’s mayor. Gabe Amo (R) will be the first Black person to represent Rhode Island in Congress.
Matt Rourke/AP; Steven Senne/AP
Tuesday night also saw historic victories for several Black Democratic candidates.
Philadelphia elected Cherelle Parker as its 100th mayor. She is the first woman and first Black woman to hold the title.
The 51-year-old has served as a state representative on the Philadelphia City Council (including as the majority leader) and most recently as the chair of the Delaware River Port Authority.
ELECTIONS
Cherelle Parker wins Philadelphia’s mayoral primary
WHYY reports Parker’s victory was expected after she won her party’s primary in May, with a tough-on-crime agenda and the support of labor and the city’s Democratic establishment.
She has promised to hire 300 new police officers, aggressively target low-level crimes, and bring in the National Guard as part of her response to the opioid crisis. She has also floated “year-round” schooling and gradually reducing city wage taxes, among other proposals.
Parker, who has spoken of being born to a single teenage mother and raised by her grandparents on welfare and food subsidies, told her supporters she would use her personal, academic, and professional experience to “make Philadelphia the safest, the greenest big city in the nation with economic opportunity for all.”
Republicans have had most of Iowa’s attention all year. Democrats want to change that
ELECTIONS
Republicans have had most of Iowa’s attention all year. Democrats want to change that
Farther north, Gabe Amo won the special election for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District seat, becoming the first Black person to represent the state in Congress.
Amo is serving the rest of the term of former Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who stepped down over the summer to become the president of the Rhode Island Foundation. Amo will be up for reelection again in 2024.
The 35-year-old son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants most recently served as the deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, working as Biden’s principal liaison to mayors and local elected officials.
An exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ member will win a seat on the New York City Council
ELECTIONS
An exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ member will win a seat on the New York City Council
Among other issues, Amo has pledged to work to legalize abortion rights nationwide, fight for federal legislation to combat climate change, and promote stronger gun control legislation, the Associated Press reported.
Amo said he would fight against what he described as extremist Republican attempts to slash funding for Social Security and Medicare.
“Undoubtedly, I’m humbled by the real momentous opportunity to serve as the first person of color,” Amo told the AP. “But I didn’t run to make history.”
Voters in five states took up ballot measures in the 2023 elections Tuesday, weighing in on issues including abortion, marijuana legalization and abolishing wealth taxes.
Perhaps the most closely watched ballot measure was Ohio’s Issue 1, on guaranteeing abortion access to women in the state, and it was projected to pass Tuesday night.
Here are some of the top ballot measures to watch.
Ohio Issue 1: Abortion access
Ohioans voted on whether to amend Ohio’s Constitution to enshrine abortion rights in state law, which appears on the ballot as Issue 1. A “yes” vote would amend the state Constitution, while a “no” vote would reject the amendment and keep the status quo. The measure was projected to pass Tuesday night.
In Ohio, abortion is legal until 22 weeks, although Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, signed a bill into law in 2019 that outlaws abortions once embryonic cardiac activity is detected, usually at about six weeks into a pregnancy, without exceptions for rape or incest. The new law has been blocked by state courts while litigation continues.
Ohio is one of several states that put abortion protections on the ballot after the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion with its decision in Roe v. Wade.
If the final results show the measure won a simple majority of votes, it will become law 30 days after the election.
Last year, Kansas voters rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated abortion protections from the state Constitution.
Ohio Issue 2: Marijuana legalization
CBS News projected Tuesday night that Ohio’s Issue 2, on legalizing recreational marijuana, will also pass. The issue allows adults over 21 to legally purchase, possess and grow marijuana for recreational use.
The measure would allow eligible adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at a time, and sales would be taxed at 10%. The measure would also allow Ohio residents to keep up to six cannabis plants.
A vote against the measure would mean marijuana would remain illegal in the state.
Issue 2, if the final results verify Issue 2’s passage, it would go into effect 30 days after the election.
Colorado Proposition II: Excess nicotine taxes for preschools
A ballot measure in Colorado, Proposition II, would allow the state to keep any revenue that exceeds official projections from tax increases on tobacco, cigarettes and nicotine, and require Colorado officials to spend those funds on preschool education. If the measure is not approved, the state must refund excess revenue to wholesalers and distributors.
Maine Question 2: Expanding ban on foreign spending in elections
Foreign spending is already prohibited in federal, state and local elections, but a Maine initiative would expand the ban.
The ballot measure would prohibit foreign governments as well as entities with at least 5% foreign government ownership or control from spending money to influence candidates or ballot measures.
Federal law doesn’t prohibit foreign nationals from donating related to ballot measures.
The measure also directs TV, radio, print and online news organizations to establish policies to prevent publishing communications where foreign government-influenced entities have illegally spent money.
If it becomes law, violating the prohibition would be a crime punishable by a $5,000 fine, or double the amount of the contribution, whichever is greater.
Maine Question 8: Removing bar against voting by some with mental illness
Another Maine ballot measure would remove a constitutional provision that a federal court has already found unconstitutional, a state provision barring people who are placed under guardianship because of a mental illness from voting.
A federal court in 2001 found Maine’s constitutional provision violated the Constitution’s due process and the equal protection clauses. Amendments to make voting available to people under guardianships for mental illness have been on the ballot in Maine before, but not since 2000. And the public’s understanding of and perspective on mental illness has shifted significantly in the last 23 years.
Texas Proposition 3: Banning wealth taxes
This Texas measure supports amending the state Constitution to prohibit the Texas Legislature from enacting a tax on a person’s wealth or net worth in the future. Such a tax is highly unlikely in the near future, since Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, as well as the governor’s mansion.
“The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual wealth or net worth tax, including a tax on the difference between the assets and liabilities of an individual or family,” the title of the ballot measure reads.
Texas Proposition 4: Raising the homestead tax exemption
Another Texas ballot measure would amend the state’s constitution to increase the homestead tax exemption for homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000 for their primary residence.
Currently, homeowners may deduct $40,000 from the appraised value of the home to calculate the homeowner’s state tax burden. This measure would increase that figure to $100,000, in light of soaring home prices in Texas in recent years.
The measure would also allow the Legislature to limit the annual appraisal increase on non-homestead properties.
Texas Proposition 12: Eliminating the Galveston County treasurer
One of the more unusual statewide ballot measures is Prop. 12, which asks all Texas voters whether they support an amendment to the state Constitution to abolish the position of Galveston County treasurer.
In fact, it’s the Galveston County treasurer himself, Hank Dugie, who is pushing the measure, meaning he’s seeking a constitutional amendment to eliminate his own job. Dugie campaigned for office — and won — on getting rid of the position. He argues that his job is redundant, that other departments can easily absorb the duties of treasurer, and taxpayers should not have to pay his salary of $117,260.
Dugie points out on his website that this is not the first time Texas has voted to abolish the county treasurer’s job — if Prop. 12 succeeds, Galveston will be the 10th county in the state to get rid of its treasurer.
The amendment would authorize the county to choose someone else or another county official to fulfill the duties of treasurer.
PACE TULSA 