Five Takeaways From Last Night’s Election as Democrats Pull Off Big Wins

Democrats enjoyed major victories in Tuesday’s elections that appeared to defy recent polling about President Joe Biden and could indicate more positive results for the party in 2024.

Biden celebrated Democratic victories in posts on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. He appeared to dismiss a recent poll from The New York Times/Siena College that showed him behind former President Donald Trump in five swing states.

The results of Tuesday’s elections were almost overwhelmingly positive for the president’s party and showed that abortion is a key issue that appears to be tripping up Republicans.

Here are five major takeaways from Tuesday’s elections.

1. Biden’s Polling Doesn’t Matter

There has been significant discussion in recent days about The New York Times/Siena College poll that showed Trump leading the president in five of six key swing states but neither that poll nor Biden’s low approval numbers seem to have mattered on Tuesday.

Democrats racked up wins in the Kentucky governor’s race, the Virginia legislative elections, the New Jersey legislative elections, and the race for an open seat on the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court.

2. Republicans Suffering Over Abortion

Abortion was a key issue in many of the elections that took place on Tuesday and the results suggest that their stance on abortion access is damaging Republicans’ electoral chances.

Democrats in Virginia campaigned on protecting access to abortion and gained full control of the general assembly, retaining the state Senate and flipping the House of Delegates.

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Daniel McCaffery won a 10-year term on the state Supreme Court after he campaigned on upholding Pennsylvania’s law that allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Voters in Ohio approved a ballot measure on Tuesday that will enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion access, into the state constitution.

3. Glenn Youngkin’s Presidential Ambitions Dented

Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has not entered the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but he is considered a rising star in the party and speculation that he could throw his hat in the ring has been rife.

However, Democrats’ victory in Tuesday’s legislative elections has dented Youngkin’s potential presidential ambitions by denying Republicans control of the three branches of state government.

Youngkin will now have to deal with Democratic majorities in the general assembly that could stymie his agenda ahead of any presidential campaign announcement.

4. Biden’s Israel Stance Could Prove a Winner

President Biden’s support for Israel in the country’s ongoing conflict with Hamas could be a potential vote winner, if the results of a race for New Jersey’s General Assembly are indicative of a wider trend.

Democrat Avi Schnall was one of two assembly members elected in the deep-red 30th district on Tuesday—each New Jersey district elects two members and Schnall was chosen in a four-way race that featured two Republicans and two Democrats.

The newly elected Schnall is a former director of Agudath Israel of America, a New Jersey group that advocates for the interests of Orthodox Jews. He enjoyed significant support from the Orthodox Jewish community in the township of Lakewood.

Schnall was elected alongside incumbent Republican Assemblyman Sean Kean but the Democrat’s victory means he has unseated Republican Assemblyman Ned Thomson.

A Democratic victory in the district is significant, particularly at a time when Biden is facing criticism from some Democrats about his approach to Israel.

5. Kentucky Governor’s Race Could Point to Biden Win

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s reelection victory on Tuesday could be good news for President Biden’s reelection bid, as CNN’s Ryan Struyk pointed out on X on Tuesday.

“The Kentucky governor’s race has predicted the winner of the next presidential election in the last five presidential cycles,” Struyk noted.

Beshear’s victory in deep-red Kentucky is good news for Democrats but whether it will predict the outcome of the 2024 election remains to be seen.