Republicans suffer huge blow in crunch state elections - but it's not good news for Joe Biden either
Americans went to the polls in crunch state elections
REUTERS
Democrats have won big in several key state elections after voters went to the polls in the US yesterday.
A series of state-wide votes were being held across America in a night which was being closely watched by both Democrats and Republicans ahead of 2024.
With the next presidential election now just under a year away, voters cast ballots to choose governors in Kentucky and Mississippi, decide legislative control in Virginia and New Jersey, and determine whether the Ohio state constitution should protect abortion rights.
In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is set to re-win reelection, defeating Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron in a state that voted for Republican Donald Trump by more than 25 percentage points in 2020.
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One of the few Democratic governors in Republican-leaning states, Beshear had touted his record of bringing jobs to Kentucky, supporting public education, expanding healthcare access and setting strict policies to curb the spread of Covid on the campaign trail.
And while the win will be of concern to some Republicans looking ahead to next year, there is little for Joe Biden to celebrate about the Democrat victory.
Beshear fought his campaign by barely even mentioning his party's White House incumbent, focusing on other issues rather than Biden's record in office.
Polling indicates that the President remains deeply unpopular among large swathes of the country, with concerns among Democrats that the 80-year-old his hindering his party's chances of success in 2024.
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Andy Beshear won re-election in Kentucky
The latest Ipsos polling gives Biden a net approval rating of -17 per cent, with 56 per cent disapproving.
Earlier this week influential Democrat and senior aide to former President Obama, David Axelrod, suggested Biden should quit the Presidential race in the interests of the party.
Further set backs for Republicans last night came in Virginia and Ohio.
In the former, all 40 seats of the state's senate and 100 seats in the House of Delegates were up for grabs.
Democrats held control of the Senate and won control of the House.
Ohio was voting in a referendum on guaranteeing abortion rights, with voters overwhelmingly backing the proposals.
Democrats nationwide that the issue will continue to galvanise voters in 2024.