Election Day 2023 is in the books, with Democrats again having some reason to celebrate.
They won the Kentucky governor’s race and control of the Virginia state legislature, and voters in red-leaning Ohio enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution. Republicans won control of the Louisiana governor’s mansion last month.
With the dust now settled, here’s a look at some of the numbers.
The number of ballot measures on which the abortion rights side has won since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. On Tuesday, Ohio became the latest, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Abortion rights advocates and Democrats are pushing for even more states to hold such votes in 2024.
The number of those states that were red. Ohio joined Montana, Kansas and Kentucky.
The percentage of Ohioans voting in favor of enshrining abortion in the state constitution. That’s nearly as high as the percentage who voted for the same policy in neighboring Michigan, a swing state.
The percentage of voters Tuesday in Ohio who described themselves as “liberal,” according to exit polls — up from around 20 percent in recent elections. That number reinforced what a driver of voter turnout this issue is for the left.
3.9 million
The total number of votes cast in Ohio. That’s nearly as many as in the 2022 midterm elections (4.2 million), despite Tuesday’s being an off-year election that included only two ballot measures and no other races.
The percentage of Ohio Republicans who voted for the measure, according to exit polls. That’s more than the 14 percent of Republicans who did so in Michigan last year.
The number of statewide races won by Democrats in the three Southern states holding them. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) won reelection over state Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) by five points.
The percentage taken by the Democrat running for Mississippi governor, Brandon Presley. That’s the most a Democrat has taken at the top of the ballot in Mississippi since 1999, when Ronnie Musgrove won. (Democrat Jim Hood took slightly less, 46.8 percent, in 2019.)
Republicans’ advantage in holding “trifectas” of control in the states — meaning the governorship and both state legislative chambers. The GOP added one by flipping the governor’s seat in Louisiana, where state attorney general and former congressman Jeff Landry won last month. Nine states have divided control, while Nebraska’s state legislature is nonpartisan.
The number of seats by which Democrats have won the majorities in both the Virginia state Senate and state House. (One state House race is undecided, with the Republican leading.) Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) had made a push for Republicans to win both — victories that would have helped his agenda and raised his national profile — but Democrats kept the Senate and took back the House.
The number of Virginia districts won by both Joe Biden in 2020 and Youngkin in 2021 that the GOP appears to have won (including the undecided race). This shows how Democrats won largely by holding favorable territory in a blue-leaning state.
Republicans’ advantage on total legislative chambers controlled. That’s down from 58-40, thanks to Democrats flipping the Virginia state House.
The number of states to legalize recreational marijuana, after Ohio voters did so in the state’s other ballot measure. Ohio provided the sixth-most votes for such a ballot measure (57 percent), according to Ballotpedia.
The number of red states to do so. Alaska, Missouri and Montana did so previously.
The percentage of Americans who now live in states that has legalized recreational marijuana — up from less than 10 percent just eight years ago.
