This election day will be different than last year’s. We’re a little older and a little wiser, and already fully into the swing of a presidential primary season.

After last year, when Florida had a full red wave that didn’t manage to spread beyond its borders in any reasonable way, voter enthusiasm has definitely been tempered this fall with a sense that things are definitely not improving within the country. Or the world, for that matter. Joe Biden’s poll numbers continue to reflect just how terrible he is, along with how the country feels about “Bidenomics,” and watching Israel take on Hamas after October 7th has increased the feeling that the stakes are just continuing to rise.

With no Congressional races during this off election year, the races to watch are all at the state level. Let’s have a look at some of them. These races may be able to tell us something about 2024 – or maybe not.

Kentucky: Beshear vs. Cameron
The gubenatorial race in Kentucky could be a potential takeaway for Republicans. Current polling has current Democrat governor Andy Beshear (who narrowly won his race in 2019 and benefited from being the son of a former governor) and current Republican state attorney general Daniel Cameron tied. The race has also had some really gross and racist attacks from the left against Cameron.

NEW: Soros-Funded PAC Labels Black Republican An Uncle Tom In Campaign Ad: ‘Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk’

Listen to the ad here: pic.twitter.com/1EtuQwz9IX

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) October 27, 2023

Beshear’s record is spotty at best – the Democrats loved him during COVID, but he has recently been excoriated over a report that showed 70% of the criminals he released in that same period of time went on to reoffend AGAIN. He’s also been trying to avoid being tied to Joe Biden at all. Kentucky is a red state, and Beshear got lucky last time. Will his luck hold out?

Mississippi: Tate vs. Presley
This gubernatorial race has Democrats hoping for their own flip. Current Governor Tate Reeves still has the edge, but Democrat Brandon Presley has been competitive – mostly because Democrats have poured time, energy, and money into this race.

Despite Mississippi’s status as a conservative stronghold, Democrats see an opportunity to flip the governor’s mansion, pointing to Reeves’s relatively low approval ratings and concerns about a long-running welfare scandal in the state as he seeks his second term as governor.

The GOP holds a trifecta in the state — meaning it controls the governor’s office, as well as the state House and Senate — while former President Trump won the state by roughly 16 points in 2020.

But the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report shifted its assessment of the gubernatorial race last week from “likely” to “lean” Republican.

The two gubernatorial candidates went toe-to-toe Wednesday for a debate that turned heated at times as they swapped barbs.

Presley has sought to stress the state’s welfare scandal, which centers on the misuse of funds in the state. Reeves has been name-checked in the matter but has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The incumbent got the “total and complete endorsement” of former President Trump earlier this week — while Trump underscored the support Presley has gotten from Democrats.

If Republican voters have learned anything, it should be to not take any race for granted. Voters need to get to the polls, and we should be watching Mississippi tonight.

Virginia: the whole enchilada could have red sauce
While the governor’s mansion is not up for grabs this election day, the rest of the Virginia legislature is. The whole thing.

Virginia’s closely watched legislative campaign cycle closes out Tuesday, as voters decide whether to empower Republicans with full state government control or let Democrats keep serving as a bulwark against Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.

The outcome in Virginia — among just four states with legislative elections this year — will be closely scrutinized nationwide for hints of what may come in the 2024 presidential cycle. All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and 40 seats in the Virginia Senate are up for election this November.

The contests are “the most important elections in America because these issues that are so important to Virginians are also the ones that are going to be so important to Americans next year,” Youngkin said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

Right now, Virginia Republicans have a four-seat majority in their House of Delegates, and Virginia Democrats hold a five-seat majority in their state Senate. These races have gotten some national attention, especially when one of the Democrats is busy streaming sex acts for “tokens” online, and then complaining about “REPUBLICANS POUNCING” when her skin show gets a wider viewing. “Virginia is for lovers” wasn’t probably meant to be taken quite this literally. But in a highly competitive state, where both sides are looking to gain, even one race will make a difference.

As you can see from the above clip, the Democrats really want to paint Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Republicans as “extremists” who are looking to ban abortion. Youngkin has said he would try again at passing a 15 week abortion ban, with limited exceptions, in Virginia. Considering where Virginia was just a short while ago, with a governor who didn’t bat an eye at proposing infanticide, if the voters go Republican with this on the table, it will be a HUGE cultural shift within the state.

If Virginia goes red, watch the Democrats, both locally and nationally, melt down into frothing puddles of rage.

Ohio: Issue 1 and abortion
The right to life has never been more stark than in Ohio on this election day. The state is voting on a constitutional amendment that would allow late-term and partial-birth abortions. A yes vote would make abortion a permanent part of the state constitution, with no limits involved. Even some local media outlets are wary about what would happen.

The #prochoice editorial board of the Toledo Blade says Issue 1 goes too far for Ohioans. They are urging voters to vote No on Issue 1.
Some quotes from the article:

“With just one doctor’s say-so, this amendment would allow late-term elective abortions of nearly fully grown… pic.twitter.com/1DcW6mh7ip

— Ohio Right to Life #VoteNoInNovember (@ohiolife) November 3, 2023

Ohio, which has become even more solidly red in the last couple of election cycles, needs to resoundingly vote this constitutional amendment down.

Do you want taxpayer funded abortion up to the moment of birth? Do you want to lock parents out of the health care of their kids? No and no. Vote NO on issue 1! pic.twitter.com/pXSh2mCoYl

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 28, 2023

Democrats are still looking to stoke fears about abortion in a post-Roe country. If they succeed in Ohio, they can succeed anywhere. This insanity must be stopped.

This election day, like every other one, is important. Get out there and vote, and make your voices heard, no matter where you live. This is your constitutional right – don’t take it for granted! And check back here later for updates as the polls close and results come in.

Featured image via DWilliam on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license