In most states, the big elections will come next year. But on Tuesday, voters in a few states elected governors and legislators, some cities selected mayors, and a variety of major issues were settled at the ballot box. A roundup from around the country.
KENTUCKY
Republican victories leave Kentucky Democrats reeling
Just two years ago, Kentucky Democrats boasted a deep bench of three young stars who aligned to prove the party could still win in the conservative South with a message focused on the economy and jobs instead of abortion and gay marriage. But Kentucky voters have now rejected all three, capped by a disastrous election for Democrats on Tuesday in which they lost four of the five statewide constitutional offices they held coming into the election, including the governor's office for just the second time since 1971. "The degree to which the national party is out of step with mainstream Kentuckians has created an environment where it's extraordinarily difficult for a Democrat to win statewide," said state Auditor Adam Edelen, who lost his re-election bid to little known Republican state representative Mike Harmon. Edelen's loss was particularly tough for Democrats, as he was seen as the party's likely candidate to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in 2016. But Edelen's loss, coupled with Democrat Jack Conway's loss to Republican Matt Bevin for governor and Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes' 15-point drubbing to Mitch McConnell in the 2014 Senate race, leaves few obvious options for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. "Make no mistake, folks, the rebuilding of the Democratic Party starts tomorrow," Grimes told subdued supporters in Frankfort, despite winning a second term as Kentucky's Secretary of State. — Adam Beam, Associated Press
OHIO
Voters reject legalizing marijuana
Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a controversial marijuana legalization measure at the polls in that state. Recent surveys showed support in Ohio for marijuana legalization, but voters balked at the specifics of the ballot initiative, which would have created an oligopoly on marijuana production for a small handful of the initiative's wealthy donors. As of 9:30 p.m. with 41 percent of precincts accounted for, the Associated Press called the election with voters rejecting the measure by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, with 65 percent opposing and only 35 percent in favor. The initiative faced an uphill battle from the start. The first stumbling block was the nature of the ballot measure itself. It would have essentially written a marijuana oligopoly into the state's constitution, with the measure's wealthy backers as the only recipients of licenses to grow marijuana commercially. That didn't sit right with many of the national advocacy groups that have backed successful legalization measures in other states. The Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Policy Project refrained from endorsing the Ohio bill. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws gave it a tepid 11th-hour endorsement, as did Law Enforcement Officers Against Prohibition. "What was most offensive about [the Ohio measure] was that they wanted to make it a constitutionally mandated oligopoly in perpetuity," said Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance. "It's clearly the case that the oligopoly provision turned people off." The measure was so opposed by Ohio's legislature that it wrote a competing initiative that appeared on the ballot — one that would explicitly outlaw voter-approved monopolies and oligopolies like the one the legalization measure would create. That measure ultimately passed. While it was rendered moot this year by the failure of the legalization initiative, the anti-monopoly amendment does effectively mean that similar legalization efforts will not find their way on to Ohio ballots in coming years. Finally, holding the vote in an off-year election meant facing an electorate that's typically older and more conservative than a presidential electorate. — Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post
VIRGINIA
McAuliffe’s hopes for Virginia Senate majority dashed
Republicans held onto the Virginia Senate in fiercely contested elections Tuesday, leaving Gov. Terry McAuliffe without legislative leverage or political momentum as he works to deliver Virginia for his friend and ally Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016. The outcome was a blunt rebuke to McAuliffe (D), who had barnstormed the state with 24 events over the past four days and who portrayed the elections as a make-or-break moment for his progressive agenda. All 140 seats in the General Assembly were on the ballot. But all eyes were on a handful of Senate seats that would decide whether Republicans held their 21-19 majority in Richmond's upper chamber. Because the GOP dominates the House, flipping the Senate was the term-limited governor's only hope for building a legislative legacy. Democrats could have taken control by picking up just one seat because of the tie-breaking authority of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D). But Republicans held all of their seats. "Today, Virginians voted for a fiscally responsible and conservative majority," Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment (R-James City) said Tuesday. "Our victory is all the more impressive in that it was achieved despite the record-breaking millions of dollars spent by Governor McAuliffe, his allies and out-of-state PACs. This election was decided by Virginians." Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), meanwhile, held out hope that the results could change. He said he suspected irregularities in a Richmond-area race won by the GOP because Republican turnout was so heavy. — Laura Vozzella, Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post
TEXAS
Houston Mayor: Fight not over for nondiscrimination measure
Amid the defeat by voters of an ordinance that would have established nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Houston, Mayor Annise Parker rallied supporters of the measure, telling them the fight was not over. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was soundly rejected Tuesday by a vote of 61 percent to 39 percent. The defeat came after a nearly 18-month battle in the nation's fourth-largest city that spawned rallies, legal fights and accusations of both religious intolerance and demonization of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. But Parker, who is gay and championed the ordinance, led a crowd of more than 100 people at an election night watch party in downtown Houston in a chant that referenced the ordinance's nickname, HERO, yelling, "A hero fights for justice." "I guarantee that justice in Houston will prevail. This ordinance, you have not seen the last of. We're united. We will prevail," Parker said. Still, the future of the ordinance looked uncertain. Parker is finishing her final two-year term, and it's unclear if the next mayor and city council will revisit the issue. The ordinance would have applied to businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants and hotels, private employers, housing, city employment and city contracting. It would have allowed residents to file a complaint if they felt they had been discriminated against based on the various protected categories. Religious institutions would have been exempt. Violators would have faced fines up to $5,000. — Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA
Prosecutor wins race that could result in charges for Cosby
A career prosecutor involved in the re-investigation of a decade-old sexual-assault claim against Bill Cosby has been elected district attorney in suburban Philadelphia, a result that could lead to charges being filed in the case. Democrat Kevin Steele on Tuesday defeated Republican Bruce Castor, the ex-prosecutor who had declined in 2005 to bring charges against Cosby. The investigation was expected to end if voters returned Castor to the job of Montgomery County district attorney, which he had held from 2000 to 2008. Castor recently questioned the accuser's credibility. The accuser sued him and said she would stop cooperating in the new case if he won. Steele, after declaring victory, told supporters, "You made a choice to take it forward, to fight for victims, to fight for people who have been the subject of crimes," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The Cosby case became a hot-button issue in the race amid news an investigation had been reopened into a complaint by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. She alleged in 2005 that Cosby, who starred as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" from 1984 to 1992 and has been married for decades, had drugged and assaulted her at his Montgomery County home the year before. At the time, Castor announced he would not charge Cosby, saying both parties could be portrayed in "a less than flattering light." — Associated Press
MICHIGAN
2 disgraced Michigan lawmakers lose bids to win old seats
Two Michigan lawmakers who were forced from office over an extramarital affair and a convoluted cover-up scheme lost longshot bids Tuesday to win back their seats. Tea party leaders Todd Courser, who resigned rather than be expelled, and Cindy Gamrat, who was kicked out, sought the Republican nominations in special primary elections, which came less than two months after their Sept. 11 ouster. Gamrat had 912 votes, or 9 percent, with all precincts reporting in her former southwestern Michigan district — finishing third to Mary Whiteford, a former nurse who helps run her family's wealth management business and had 5,065 votes, or nearly 52 percent. County commissioner Jim Storey was in second with 24 percent in the eight-candidate primary. Courser had 415 votes, less than 4 percent, with all precincts reporting in his old Thumb-area seat — coming in fifth in an 11-candidate primary. Farmer Gary Howell won that race with 3,070 votes, or 26 percent. "I told the voters they should have the opportunity to decide," Courser told WWJ-AM. He said he could not overcome the "political headwinds," which "were unlike anything I'd ever experienced." — David Eggert, Associated Press
COLORADO
Conservative school board members ousted
In a striking upset, voters in suburban Denver on Tuesday recalled three conservative members of a school board who had worked to weaken the local teachers union while boosting funding for charter schools and pushing through other market-driven policy changes for public schools. By a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent, voters opted to replace Julie Williams, Ken Witt and John Newkirk, who had been elected in 2013 to form a majority power bloc on the five-member Jefferson County school board. About 40 percent of registered voters turned out. "It looks decisive," Witt said Tuesday night, moments after he conceded. Ron Mitchell, who won Witt's seat, said the new board will take the county in a new direction. "Our mission will not be to privatize and charterize and voucherize our schools," he said. Lynea Hansen, a political consultant to the challengers, said turnout was key. "We had a huge ground game," she said. "We were chasing voters to the polls." Both sides saw the contentious election as a stand-in for a larger national debate about public education. Spending on the race was estimated to top $1 million, with the recall targets getting help from a libertarian think tank and Americans for Prosperity, the political organization created by the Koch Brothers, while the challengers received backing from teachers unions. — Lyndset Layton, Washington Post
SEATTLE
Washington state voters overwhelming passing anti-poaching law
Washington voters looked far beyond the state's borders Tuesday, embracing a measure to help stem the slaughter of African elephants, lions, sharks and other imperiled species around the world. Initiative 1401 won in every county and led statewide 71 to 29 percent. "€œTonight'€™s victory is a step forward in the race against extinction," said a statement from Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen, who bankrolled the initiative with $2 million. The new anti-poaching law is the nation'€™s most comprehensive. It will make it illegal to buy, sell, trade or give away — except through inheritance — €"most items made from elephant ivory or parts from dozens of other species, including tigers, sea turtles, cheetahs, spiny anteaters and rays. The only exceptions are certain musical instruments and antiques at least 100 years old that contain less than 15 percent by volume of ivory or other animal parts. Ivory collectors and antique dealers objected, but there was little organized opposition. — Sandi Doughton, Tribune News Service
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