From CNN's Gregory Krieg, Arit John and Daniel Strauss
Early voters were at the polling center at Valley High School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday morning. Jeff Faughender/The Courier Journal/USA Today Network
Abortion rights are on the ballot Tuesday as Americans head to the polls for state and local races that will set the stage for next year’s presidential election.
Fiercely fought contests in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio could offer a 2024 roadmap for both parties.
Democrats have largely succeeded in running on the issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, which effectively punted abortion law to the states. For the most part, they have done so by framing the debate as one of personal freedom – and leaving Republicans to haggle over the politically painful particulars.
A victory for abortion rights advocates in Ohio – where voters could enshrine a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access – along with success in high-stakes races for governor, the state Supreme Court and control of the state legislature in other states, could further demonstrate the potency of the issue.
Meanwhile, the gubernatorial election in Mississippi asks a different question: Is it still possible for a Democrat to win a statewide race in the deepest of deep-red states?
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who is seeking a second term, is knee-deep in a corruption scandal as the state faces another health-care crisis. Democrat Brandon Presley is banking on Reeves’ foibles, a famous name – Elvis Presley was a second cousin – and a promise to expand Medicaid while cutting regressive grocery taxes. (Both oppose abortion rights.)
Other intense – and expensive – campaigns will be decided in Pennsylvania, where abortion is again top of mind with a seat on the state Supreme Court in the balance, and in New Jersey and New York, where Democrats’ strength will be tested.
Philadelphia and Houston will also go to the polls to elect new mayors. Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker is poised to become Philadelphia’s first female mayor, while Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is running neck-and-neck with state Sen. John Whitmire in Houston. That race could go to a run-off.
And in Rhode Island, favored Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard Jr. square off in a special election to complete the term of Democratic former Rep. David Cicilline.
Harris calls on Black voters to turn out for key races in Virginia and Ohio
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in April. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the importance of voting in a series of high-stakes state and local elections this Tuesday, highlighting the importance of the Black vote in key races.
“Election day is about using your voice as part of the way that you will determine the future of our country and make decisions about where we are headed. Elections matter,” she said during an appearance on “Joe Madison The Black Eagle” on Sirius XM airing Tuesday.
Tuesday’s election, she said, “is about making decisions about whether we are going to have leaders who agree that people deserve their freedoms, including the freedom to make decisions about their own body.”
Harris has been a key spokesperson for the Biden White House on the issue of abortion rights, which the campaign believes is a winning issue for Democrats ahead of next year’s presidential election. She pointed to Virginia and Ohio as places where abortion is on the ballot Tuesday.
“Virginia is now the only state in the south without an abortion ban. But Virginia Republicans tried to pass one, and Governor Youngkin said he would sign any ban that gets to his desk. When we think about what that means to take away the right of a woman to make decisions, having the freedom to make decision with her pastor or priest or her Rabbi but not having her government tell her what to do. It's a very big issue,” she said.
And in Ohio, she warned, “They've been trying to make it confusing in terms of the constitutional amendment. This time, it's important that they vote ‘yes’ on that ballot measure in Ohio. The Republicans have been trying to make it confusing, but Ohioans should vote yes on that ballot proposal.
And speaking to a predominately Black audience, Harris stressed the importance of voting, calling the Black vote “critically, critically important.”
“I just want to urge everyone that in spite of these extremists who are trying to make it more difficult for folks to vote, we need to get out and honor those who fought and died for our right to vote, understanding that is one of the ways that we will decide our future,” she said.
Harris continued, “People are counting on folks not to vote, and they're purposely making it more difficult for people to vote. And so we have to pay attention to the fact that there are folks who are trying to silence folks from voting and we need to show them that we will not be silenced.”
Voters in Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and several other states are heading to the polls Tuesday to decide key races that could provide a critical look into the issues that are motivating the American electorate a year away from Election Day 2024.
In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear will try to win reelection in a heavily Republican state, while Ohio voters will decide on two ballot measures, including one that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution.
Control of both chambers of the Virginia legislature is also up for grabs, as candidates test the strength of messages that will resonate throughout 2024.
There’s also a race for governor in Mississippi, a special election in the US House in Rhode Island and mayoral elections across the country, including Houston and Philadelphia.
Early voters were at the polling center at Valley High School in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday morning. Jeff Faughender/The Courier Journal/USA Today Network
Abortion rights are on the ballot Tuesday as Americans head to the polls for state and local races that will set the stage for next year’s presidential election.
Fiercely fought contests in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio could offer a 2024 roadmap for both parties.
Democrats have largely succeeded in running on the issue in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, which effectively punted abortion law to the states. For the most part, they have done so by framing the debate as one of personal freedom – and leaving Republicans to haggle over the politically painful particulars.
A victory for abortion rights advocates in Ohio – where voters could enshrine a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access – along with success in high-stakes races for governor, the state Supreme Court and control of the state legislature in other states, could further demonstrate the potency of the issue.
Meanwhile, the gubernatorial election in Mississippi asks a different question: Is it still possible for a Democrat to win a statewide race in the deepest of deep-red states?
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who is seeking a second term, is knee-deep in a corruption scandal as the state faces another health-care crisis. Democrat Brandon Presley is banking on Reeves’ foibles, a famous name – Elvis Presley was a second cousin – and a promise to expand Medicaid while cutting regressive grocery taxes. (Both oppose abortion rights.)
Other intense – and expensive – campaigns will be decided in Pennsylvania, where abortion is again top of mind with a seat on the state Supreme Court in the balance, and in New Jersey and New York, where Democrats’ strength will be tested.
Philadelphia and Houston will also go to the polls to elect new mayors. Former City Councilmember Cherelle Parker is poised to become Philadelphia’s first female mayor, while Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is running neck-and-neck with state Sen. John Whitmire in Houston. That race could go to a run-off.
And in Rhode Island, favored Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard Jr. square off in a special election to complete the term of Democratic former Rep. David Cicilline.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in April. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the importance of voting in a series of high-stakes state and local elections this Tuesday, highlighting the importance of the Black vote in key races.
“Election day is about using your voice as part of the way that you will determine the future of our country and make decisions about where we are headed. Elections matter,” she said during an appearance on “Joe Madison The Black Eagle” on Sirius XM airing Tuesday.
Tuesday’s election, she said, “is about making decisions about whether we are going to have leaders who agree that people deserve their freedoms, including the freedom to make decisions about their own body.”
Harris has been a key spokesperson for the Biden White House on the issue of abortion rights, which the campaign believes is a winning issue for Democrats ahead of next year’s presidential election. She pointed to Virginia and Ohio as places where abortion is on the ballot Tuesday.
“Virginia is now the only state in the south without an abortion ban. But Virginia Republicans tried to pass one, and Governor Youngkin said he would sign any ban that gets to his desk. When we think about what that means to take away the right of a woman to make decisions, having the freedom to make decision with her pastor or priest or her Rabbi but not having her government tell her what to do. It's a very big issue,” she said.
And in Ohio, she warned, “They've been trying to make it confusing in terms of the constitutional amendment. This time, it's important that they vote ‘yes’ on that ballot measure in Ohio. The Republicans have been trying to make it confusing, but Ohioans should vote yes on that ballot proposal.
And speaking to a predominately Black audience, Harris stressed the importance of voting, calling the Black vote “critically, critically important.”
“I just want to urge everyone that in spite of these extremists who are trying to make it more difficult for folks to vote, we need to get out and honor those who fought and died for our right to vote, understanding that is one of the ways that we will decide our future,” she said.
Harris continued, “People are counting on folks not to vote, and they're purposely making it more difficult for people to vote. And so we have to pay attention to the fact that there are folks who are trying to silence folks from voting and we need to show them that we will not be silenced.”
