Election Day 2023: Here Are 4 Races to Watch Today
Don’t call it an off-year!
Voters across the country are heading to the polls today to vote in several high-stakes state and local races.
From Virginia to Ohio, here are four races to watch today.
Ohio Issue 1
All eyes will be on Ohio this year as it votes on an amendment to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.
Voters will be asked to vote either “YES” or “NO” on Issue 1, which would establish abortion as a constitutional right in Ohio.
That’s not all: Issue 1 would also protect “contraception, fertility treatment, [and] miscarriage care” as a right in Ohio.
Could it pass? It’s likely: an October Baldwin Wallace University poll showed 58% of likely voters supporting the passage of Issue 1.
Kentucky gubernatorial election
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is running for reelection this year after flipping the seat blue in 2019.
Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron is challenging Beshear for the seat; the two have served together since 2019.
Kentucky is a Republican stronghold: the party holds both legislative chambers and former Pres. Donald Trump won the state in 2020 by 25 percentage points.
Could Cameron flip the seat back? It’s unlikely: an October Emerson College poll found Beshear leading by 16 points.
Beshear is also leading Republican-funded polls: an October co/efficient poll found him leading the race by two percentage points.
Mississippi gubernatorial election
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is also running for reelection this year in a favorable environment.
Challenging Reeves is Democrat Brandon Presley, a longtime member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission.
Presley is also a second cousin of singer Elvis Presley. He launched his campaign last January.
Reeves is favored for reelection: according to a September Siena College poll, he’s leading Presley by 11 percentage points among 650 likely voters.
Virginia General Assembly elections
Virginia’s state legislature will be up for grabs this November as Republicans seek to flip the state Senate for a trifecta.
Republicans currently control the state House with a 49–43 majority; Democrats have a 22–18 majority in the state Senate.
All 40 districts in the state Senate are up for election this November. According to Ballotpedia, four of these seats are toss-ups.
Abortion will loom large today: Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called for a 15 week abortion ban in the state.
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