Ohio voters legalize marijuana, NYC elects a Republican: 5 takeaways from the nation's election results

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, November 08, 2023

Mississippi incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves speaks to members of the press after an election night watch party at The Refuge Hotel & Conference Center on November 07, 2023, in Flowood, Mississippi. Gov. Reeves won reelection against Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, a second cousin of Elvis Presley. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images

1. Governors in southern states win re-election

Three heavily Republican states in the South held gubernatorial elections this year. Louisiana already had its gubernatorial election last month, which resulted in Republican Jeff Landry claiming an outright majority of the vote and thereby avoiding the need for a Nov. 18 runoff. Landry’s victory marked a gubernatorial pickup for the GOP, as Louisiana has been led by the term-limited Democrat Gov. John Edwards for the past eight years.

However, Republicans did not achieve the same level of success in flipping another red state governorship in Kentucky. Unofficial results show Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear won re-election with 52.5% of the vote, while his Republican challenger, Daniel Cameron, captured 47.4% of the vote.

Conversely, Republicans successfully defended the governorship of Mississippi. With 96% of the vote reporting, incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves won re-election by securing 51.7% of the vote against Democrat Brandon Presley’s 46.9%. In both Mississippi and Kentucky, Democrat gubernatorial candidates significantly outperformed President Joe Biden’s performance in the 2020 presidential election.