Election Day results provide tips to both parties ahead of 2024

On Nov. 7, 2023, several high-stakes elections were held across the United States in accordance with the country’s annual Election Day.

The wide variety of elections included gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi, as well as elections to every seat in the Virginia state legislature. Voters in Ohio also decided on a couple of ballot initiatives concerning abortion and marijuana.

A total of three gubernatorial elections took place in the U.S. in 2023. Republican Jeff Landry, the incumbent Attorney General of Louisiana, received an outright majority of votes in the state’s October primary, eliminating the need for a runoff.

This left voters in Kentucky and Mississippi to select their next governors.

In Kentucky, incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear won re-election to a second and final term in office, defeating Republican nominee Daniel Cameron, who declined to run for a second term as Attorney General of Kentucky.

Despite Kentucky’s political status as a solid red state, Beshear was considered by many to be the favorite to win due to his high approval ratings among multiple voting demographics. 

Beshear’s opponent, on the other hand, may have been hindered by his controversial decision not to charge any of the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s killing during his tenure as the state’s attorney general.

The remaining gubernatorial race took place in Mississippi, where incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves narrowly won re-election to a second term in office, defeating Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, a second cousin of rock-and-roll icon Elvis Presley.

Although Mississippi also has a reputation as a comfortably conservative state, the gubernatorial race was expected to be close due to Reeves’s low approval ratings, caused in part by his response to a water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.

Additionally, during Reeves’s governorship, U.S. News & World Report ranked Mississippi second to last in the country in both economy and health care.

On Nov. 8, 2023, former President Donald Trump, who endorsed both Daniel Cameron and Tate Reeves in their respective gubernatorial bids, suggested in a Truth Social post that Cameron’s defeat was caused by his association with Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell.

In the same post, Trump congratulated Reeves on his victory, which he appeared to take credit for. Trump also stated that Reeves “surged to a win” after his involvement, despite Reeves’s performance being the worst for a Republican in the state in over two decades.

Despite weak performances in the gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi, Republicans won the concurrent secretary of state and attorney general races in both states, as well as the lieutenant governor race in Mississippi, by sizable margins.

All 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly were also up for grabs this year.

In the end, Democrats narrowly maintained a majority in the Virginia Senate and regained control of the Virginia House of Delegates, giving Democrats control of both chambers of Virginia’s legislative branch, which may heavily restrict what Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin can accomplish during the remainder of his term in office.

And in Ohio, voters determined the outcomes of two ballot initiatives. One initiative established a right to abortion in the state constitution, while the other legalized the recreational use of marijuana by adults in the state.

Although Ohio is also widely recognized as a red state, both initiatives passed with over 56% of the vote, continuing a trend of voters supporting the legalization of abortion and marijuana, even in swing and conservative states.

In addition to the statewide elections, mayoral races were held for 13 of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, including Houston and Philadelphia. The results of these races varied, especially because many were nonpartisan and therefore did not recognize the political affiliations of any candidate.

Although several different types of races took place on Election Day this year, they should all offer some insight, if not warnings, to both major political parties ahead of the 2024 elections, which include a highly anticipated presidential race.

As shown by the results of the gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi, even in states with a dominant political party, candidate quality cannot be overlooked. Additionally, candidates cannot rely on endorsements from other political figures, especially polarizing ones.

Moreover, the success of the ballot initiatives in Ohio indicates that support for some extent of the legalization of abortion and marijuana has become more mutual, which may require some candidates to adopt more moderate viewpoints on these topics if they want to be elected.

After all, if candidates from any political party really want to “surge to a win,” they need to listen to the voters themselves and respect the will of the majority. And with a competitive presidential election just around the corner, this could not be more important.

Elmhurst University is home to students and staff from states all around the country, as well as other countries. 

As the nation prepares for and gets closer to the 2024 Presidential Election, it is important to keep up with where different states and regions stand in their politics, as these decisions affect everyone.