THE VOTE:...Ohio Handily Slaps Down Anti-Abortion Republicans...Virginia Hands State Senate And House To Democrats...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | It was a good day for Democrats. Yesterday's votes in Ohio and in Virginia made for a nice evening with that cold beer and New York Steak.

Abortion remains a lightning rod, but Ohio told the country it is not ready to outlaw it - dealing a clear blow to rabid, anti-abortion Republicans.

In Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw his voters hand the State Senate to Democrats and flip the formerly Republican-led State House of Representatives.

But it is abortion that keeps getting the attention.

This from axios.com: [ Ohio voters have adopted an amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. The amendment, labeled Issue 1 on Tuesday's ballot, guarantees a person's right to an abortion and other reproductive care up until fetal viability, which is usually about 23 to 24 weeks.

The Associated Press called the race with early votes plus about 25% of Ohio's precincts reporting, with roughly 57% voting for the proposed amendment.

Abortion rights advocates overcame several obstacles in the lead-up to Tuesday's vote.

Anti-abortion rights groups tried to make it more difficult for the amendment to succeed by raising the passage threshold of constitutional amendments to 60%.

But Ohio voters rejected that proposal in the August special election with 57% opposing it, so Tuesday's ballot issue needed only a simple majority to pass. ]

Pundits are wondering about President Joe Biden's race against (...it looks like more and more) pseudo-Republican Donald J. Trump in the 2024 General Election, but maybe that's just the press wanting and needing a horse race at the polls.

Even a good Republican like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, still a candidate for the party's 2024 presidential nomination, says Republicans will go down if the party opts for Trump as its candidate against Democrat Biden.

I agree with that entirely...

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