Big win for Democrats in Kentucky, Ohio and New York: Here’s a round-up of off-year elections

It was a Tuesday worth remembering for the Democrats as the partyreaped significant gains in the off-year elections in some states, offering them a glimmer of hope ahead of the 2024 US presidential polls.

In two states, Democrats-backed candidates were handed victory, while in Ohio, the abortion rights activists prevailed over the naysayers, which experts believe would set the tone for national debates in the upcoming presidential polls.

The off-year elections are considered to be the bellwether of the 2024 presidential elections, and it is believed that Tuesday’s win would have major implications in US politics.

Democrats win in Trump’s county

Kentucky has historically elected the Republicans in the national elections. Donald Trump’s victory by a wide margin in 2020 is a testament to that.

But incumbent Democrat Governor Andy Beshear won a second term against Republican rival Daniel Cameron.

While Beshear’s first term was focused on his response to a series of natural disasters and the pandemic, his re-election campaign harped on abortion rights.

He portrayed Republican Cameron as too extreme on the issue, pointing to his support for the state’s abortion ban, which lacks exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

Once wrongfully jailed, now a member of New York City Council

Yusef Salaam was wrongfully jailed in an infamous rape case. He was one of five black and Hispanic boys who were wrongfully accused of raping a jogger in Central Park in 1989.

The case gripped New York City and the group became known as the Central Park Five.

Salaam, who was 15 at the time, was jailed for several years before a serial rapist confessed to the crime and the group's convictions were vacated.

On Tuesday (Nov 7), Salaam, a Democrat, was elected unopposed to a central Harlem district in one of many local elections held across New York state.

He had won the Democratic primary in July that assured his election.

"For me, this means that we can really become our ancestors' wildest dreams," Salaam said in an interview before the polls.

Abortion remains a top issue in Ohio

In Ohio, voters backed an amendment to the state's constitution that will guarantee abortion rights, marking a major victory for pro-choice campaigners in the state.

According to CBS News, about 57 per cent of voters in the conservative-leaning state backed the measure.

The amendment will change the state's constitution to include protections for abortion access. It will establish "an individual right to one's own reproductive medical treatment", including abortion, contraception and miscarriage care. It will take effect on December 7, 30 days after the election.

The success in Kentucky and Ohio has significantly bolstered the Democrats' hopes that abortion rights remain a winning issue ahead of elections in 2024.

(With inputs from agencies)