Republicans' Six Most Painful Election Losses

Democrats across the country had a successful night in Tuesday's elections, winning a number of competitive races and capitalizing on voters' desire to protect abortion rights.

More than a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. vs. Wade, Tuesday's results suggest the issue of abortion rights remains a key priority for voters. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky used it as a wedge issue against his Donald Trump-endorsed challenger, Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and Ohio voted to add abortion protections to the state constitution.

The success in the November 7 races arrives after abortion restrictions and the influence of Trump were widely blamed for the GOP's poor 2022 midterm performance, in which the party failed to regain control of the Senate and only achieved a narrow margin in the House, as talks of a "red wave" failed to come to fruition.

The results could also ease some pressure on President Joe Biden, who is facing ongoing concerns about his polling numbers against expected Republican presidential nominee Trump heading into 2024.

In a Tuesday night statement, Biden said that voters in Ohio and across the U.S. rejected attempts by "MAGA Republican elected officials" to impose extreme abortion bans. He said this "dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans."

Newsweek has contacted the Republican National Committee via email for comment.

Below, Newsweek has complied six key GOP losses from the 2023 election results:

Daniel Cameron Loses to Gov. Andy Beshear

The Democratic incumbent managed to win another term in the governor's mansion in Kentucky, beating Cameron by 52.5 points to 47.5 as of early Wednesday morning.

During the closely fought race, Beshear attacked Cameron for his support of the near-total abortion ban Kentucky implemented after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. In response, Cameron tried to tie Beshear to Biden and highlighted issues such as rising inflation and crime in the state.

Beshear, seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, managed to win reelection despite Kentucky being a red state where Biden lost to Trump by 26 points in 2020.

In an election speech, Beshear said his election shows that Kentucky voters "made a choice, a choice not to move to the right or to the left, but to move forward for every single family."

Ohio Enshrines Abortion Rights

A ballot which sought to enshrine abortion protections into Ohio's state's constitution was passed on Tuesday.

The Issue 1 ballot asks voters to choose yes or no on amending the state constitution to give individuals the "right to make and carry out one's own reproductive decisions," including on abortion. The yes vote won with 56.4 percent of the vote.

Abortion is currently legal for up to 22 weeks, although the state's Supreme Court was weighing up introducing a 6-week ban, which is currently on hold. In August, voters in Ohio passed a separate bill which meant that the constitution could be amended in a simple majority, instead of a 60 percent threshold, which was seen as a key move to allow voters to eventually enshrine abortion rights.

Virginia Democrat Gain Full Legislative Control

Also on Tuesday, Democrats in Virginia managed to win control of both the state's chambers of government.

The party maintained their control of the Senate, and managed to flip control of the General Assembly. Just like in other states, the results in Virginia were another win for abortion rights supporters, with the full Democrat-controlled legislature now likely to quash Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's hopes of introducing a 15-week abortion ban in the state.

"It's official: there will be absolutely no abortion ban legislation sent to Glenn Youngkin's desk for the duration of his term in office, period, as we have thwarted MAGA Republicans' attempt to take total control of our government and our bodies," Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Sen. Mamie Locke said in a statement.

New Jersey Maintains Both Majorities

Democrats in the Garden State were able to retain their majorities in both the Senate and the Assembly.

On Tuesday, all 120 seats in the Democrat-led State Legislature were again on the ballot, with the GOP hoping to make significant gains in competitive races.

However, the Democrats are currently on a 10-seat majority in the state Senate, and now hold a 47 to 27 Assembly majority.

Increased Pennsylvania Supreme Court Majority

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Daniel McCaffery won the election for the vacant seat in the state Supreme Court on Tuesday against Republican Carolyn Carluccio. The seat opened up following the death of Democratic Chief Justice Max Baer in 2022.

McCaffery's victory means that Democrat judges once again hold a 5-2 majority on the bench.

Ohio Votes to Legalize Marijuana

As well as the abortion issue, voters in Ohio also approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana use in Tuesday's election.

The yes vote on Issue 2 means people aged 21 and over in Ohio will be able to use, grow or sell marijuana under state and tax-imposed regulations. Ohio, a normally conservative state which voted for Trump in the past two presidential elections, is now the 24th state to approve the legalization of marijuana.

There was some good news for Republicans on Tuesday, as Gov. Tate Reeves was reelected in Mississippi, defeating Democrat Brandon Presley. Reeves' campaign focused on job creation, low unemployment and better standards in education. He had labeled Presley as a liberal supported by out-of-state donors, The Associated Press reported.