Voters in Ohio at present voted to enshrine abortion rights within the state structure and to legalize leisure marijuana. With about 80% of the votes counted, each measures had been tallied at about 56% to 44% for and towards. The professional-abortion vote got here regardless of livid efforts by conservatives to dam the vote after which to sabotage the plebiscite by making the query confusingly-worded; the previous effort failed and the latter prevailed, however voters within the Buckeye State weren’t fooled.
The win for ladies’s rights adopted related referendum outcomes in deep-red Kansas and Kentucky, the place the Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, was re-elected within the governor’s race Tuesday. CNN:
Ohioans authorised a poll measure to guard abortion rights within the state structure, CNN initiatives, within the newest win for abortion advocates because the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The vote is yet one more signal abortion entry is a key challenge for voters throughout celebration strains forward of the 2024 presidential election. In one other important vote, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is projected to be reelected in Kentucky. He’ll defeat GOP Lawyer Normal Daniel Cameron, who had the backing of former President Donald Trump and Senate GOP chief Mitch McConnell.
The GOP did rating a win, although, in Tate Reeves, the Republican governor of Mississippi, who was additionally re-elected. That his Democratic opponent fancied himself an opportunity in Mississippi, nonetheless, was discomfiting sufficient for GOP leaders plainly upset by the Ohio outcome.
Requested by CNN if he is involved his celebration is on the mistaken aspect of public opinion on the difficulty, Home Speaker Mike Johnson — who has made his anti-abortion views central to his political id — mentioned: “I am not going to touch upon that.”
The opposite huge query of the evening is management of Virginia’s legislature, the place, as of 10:30 p.m. japanese time, Democrats look like doing effectively, have already held the Senate, and are on the cusp of taking the Home. Semafor’s Dave Weigel writes that progressive main wins might transfer this potential majority “a bit to the left,” too.