Ohio, Virginia Election Wins Boost Democrats and Biden’s 2024 Hopes
- Abortion once again resonates with broad section of voters
- Red wave in Virginia driven by governor fails to materialize
Abortion rights supporters celebrate the passing of Issue 1 in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 7.
Photographer: Megan Jelinger/AFP/Getty ImagesA string of wins for Democrats in elections around the US Tuesday highlighted the party’s appeal to voters, especially on abortion issues, and may be good news for President Joe Biden’s reelection hopes despite recent weak poll numbers.
Democrats won majorities in both chambers in Virginia - where the Republican governor had been pushing for tighter abortion restrictions and hoped to gain control both the House and Senate. In Ohio, a state that Donald Trump won in 2020, a referendum guaranteeing women the right to terminate pregnancies won, underlining the continuing power of the issue to mobilize Democratic voters more than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.