2023 General Election: Overview and Live Results

Top Elections

This page covers the marquee races for Election Day, 2023 on Tuesday, November 7. Use the links below for full coverage.

It's an off-year but there are a number of elections drawing significant attention.

Voters in Kentucky and Mississippi will determine whether their respective governors get another four-year term. The two states are heavily Republican but the races are competitive.

Both chambers of the Virginia Legislature are closely-divided. Partisan control is on the line, and the results could provide an early read on the national mood heading into 2024.

One of two U.S. House vacancies will be filled. A mayor will be elected in Houston as will a Supreme Court Justice in Pennsylvania. Finally, voters in Ohio will weigh-in on reproductive rights and legalization of marijuana.

Governor

Kentucky

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is seeking a second term. Four years ago, he defeated incumbent Republican Matt Bevin, winning in this deep red state by less than 0.5%.

The Republican nominee is Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky Attorney General.

Beshear has had a single-digit lead in most polls, although the most recent nonpartisan survey showed Cameron had pulled even. The polling spreads have varied quite a bit. That seems consistent with the fact that polling in Kentucky has had some issues over the years. 

Polls close at 6:00 PM Local Time. That is 6:00 PM Eastern, except 7:00 PM Eastern for that part of the state observing Central Time.

• Courier-Journal: Keys to victory for Beshear and Cameron
• New York Times: Can a Democrat running Biden's playbook win this deep-red state
• AP: Cameron tries to energize growing GOP base in challenging incumbent

All Kentucky Results >

Mississippi

Republican Tate Reeves is seeking a second term. His Democratic challenger is Brandon Presley, a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission (and second cousin of Elvis).

The two had a lively debate last week that touched on many of the issues driving the race.

Independent Gwendolyn Gray ended her campaign in early October and endorsed Presley. However, her name remains on the ballot, which is not insignificant as a majority vote is required to win. Should neither Reeves nor Presley reach that threshold, they will meet again in a November 28 runoff.  

Polling has been extremely limited. The last public poll unaligned with either candidate is over a month old; it showed Reeves leading 51% to 43%. A more recent survey, conducted for Democrats by Public Policy Polling had Reeves only up by one point. The narrative of a tightening race has not been countered by any subsequent polling released by the GOP. 

Sabato's Crystal Ball notes that for Presley to pull the upset would require "two major ingredients: Presley would need roughly 30% of the white vote (if exit polling is accurate, Democratic support has been in the 10-20% range in recent presidential races) while getting Black voters to make up at least one-third or so of the electorate."

• Fox News: Mississippi governor's race tightens (Video)
• AP: Presley seeks big turnout to unseat GOP governor

All Mississippi Results > 

U.S. House (Special Election)

Rhode Island Congressional District 1

While this election isn't expected to be as competitive as the others on this page, it is noteworthy in that it will fill one of two empty seats in the U.S. House. Republicans currently hold a 221-212 partisan advantage.

Democrat David Cicilline resigned in May. Former White House aide Gabriel Amo defeated ten others to win the Democratic nomination. Gerry Leonard Jr., a 30 year Marine veteran, is the GOP nominee. The two faced off in a debate on November 2. 

This has been a solidly Democratic district. Cicilline won his last term by a 64% to 36% margin in 2022. The only public poll of the special election, conducted in mid-October, showed Amo with a 46% to 35% lead.

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

On November 21, a special election will be held in Utah's Second District to fill the other congressional vacancy.

There are also a number of state legislative special elections. All Special Elections >

Virginia Legislature

Three states hold legislative elections on November 7. There is little suspense that Republicans in Mississippi and Democrats in New Jersey will maintain full control.

Virginia, on the other hand, is highly competitive. There is also currently split control, with each party holding one branch. That is a rarity these days - the only other state is Pennsylvania.

Interest extends well beyond the state's borders. As Politico reports, "Virginia’s off-year elections are often seen as the best bellwether ahead of the following year’s federal elections. And that’s for good reason: Both parties are testing out messages that we will almost assuredly see on a much grander scale next year."

In addition, this year's elections are important for the political fortunes of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Some conservatives not supportive of Donald Trump view him as a possible late entrant for the 2024 GOP nomination. A successful night for the party may fuel more talk of that.

For a deep dive into the competitive races across both branches, see Our Final Virginia 2023 Ratings from CNalysis.

On this page, we've included a single results embed for each chamber. Select 'Change Race' to view any individual district. However, the most important thing to keep an eye on is the Seat Count graphic, which will tally up the called races.

Polls close at 7:00 PM ET.

State Senate

Democrats hold a 22-18 edge. Republicans would take control with a net gain of two seats or more, as GOP Lt. Gov Winsome Sears, acting as Senate President, can break any ties.

Most forecasters slightly favor Democrats to maintain control. How that actually plays out will likely be determined by the results in six competitive districts:  4, 16, 17, 24, 27, 31.

Visit the Virginia State Senate results page for more information and individual results for each of those seats.

House of Delegates

Republicans hold a 48-46 edge in the Virginia House of Delegates. There are six vacant seats, four of which were most recently held by Republicans, two by Democrats. Combining those two numbers matches the GOP 52-48 margin after the 2021 election, when they gained control of the chamber by flipping seven seats.

Democrats would take control with a net gain of three seats or more. A 50-50 tie would likely mean some sort of power-sharing arrangement. 

There are 14 districts on the competitive radar, including five true toss-ups. Visit the Virginia House of Delegates results page for more information and individual results for each of those seats. 

Mayoral Elections

13 of the nation's 100 largest cities will elect a mayor on November 7. The most interesting race, from a competitive standpoint, is expected to be in the largest of those cities.

Houston

Houston is the nation's 4th largest city, with a population of about 2.3 million. A large field is on the nonpartisan ballot to succeed Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is ineligible to run for a third term.

However, it is shaping up to be a two-person race between two Democrats, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and State Sen. John Whitmire. The city has not had a Republican mayor since Jim McConn left office in 1982.^{1 1}McConn was succeeded by Houston's first woman mayor, Kathy Whitmire. John Whitmire is her brother-in law.

In the only recent poll of the race, the two were statistically tied. Whitmire had 34% and Jackson Lee 31%. As this race requires a majority vote winner, these two will likely advance to a December 9 runoff.

Polls close at 8:00 PM ET.

Philadelphia is the other top-ten population city with a mayoral election. Party primaries were conducted back in May, with Democrat Cherelle Parker a prohibitive favorite in that deep blue city.  All Mayoral Elections >

Ballot Initiatives

We're tracking two ballot initiatives, both in Ohio. 

Polls close at 7:30 PM.

Ohio Issue 1

In August, voters rejected an amendment to the State Constitution that would have required a 60% threshold to pass future constitutional amendments.  That election drew national attention because it would have raised the threshold for this reproductive rights amendment that had already been certified for the November 7 election.

As a result of that vote, Issue 1 will be decided by a simple majority vote.

A "yes" vote on Issue 1 will establish a right to abortion in the State Constitution. It is favored to pass, although there are a couple curveballs. As the NY Times reports, "It is the first time that voters in a red state are being asked to affirmatively vote “yes” to a constitutional amendment establishing a right to abortion, rather than “no” to preserve the status quo established by courts. Ohio voters have historically tended to reject ballot amendments. 

Adding to the confusion, Issue 1 was the name of the initiative in August, and is also the name of this one. "No" was the option for those favoring reproductive rights in August; it is now "yes". 

Ohio Issue 2

A "yes" vote on Issue 2 will legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults. It is favored to pass.

Judicial Elections

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Pennsylvania is one of just eight states that elects its Supreme Court justices through partisan elections. The current split is 4-2 in favor of Democrats, so this election won't change the balance of power. However, a majority of 5-2 vs. 4-3 makes a significant difference. To that end, millions of dollars are being spent to influence the outcome.

This is also the only statewide race in one of the key swing states, so the result will undoubtedly lead to some opining about what it means for 2024.

While this is a regularly scheduled election for a ten-year term, the seat has been vacant since September, 2022, when Justice Max Baer died. The nominees are Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Daniel McCaffery (D) and Montgomery County Count Court Judge Carolyn Carluccio (R).