Overlooked election results from every state

Sure, the U.S. House of Representatives is up for grabs and the Senate is a nail-biter. But what else happened in Tuesday’s midterm election?

Here are some of the results you might have missed, and highlights from every state:

ALABAMA: Sen.-elect Katie Britt (R) will be the first woman to represent Alabama in the Senate. Voters overwhelmingly approved a revised state constitution that removes racist and outdated language and reorganizes the whole document. The revised constitution is still 747 pages long.

ALASKA: Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) became the first governor to win re-election since Tony Knowles (D) in 1998. Voters rejected a constitutional convention — something they have to weigh in on every decade — by a 30%-70% margin.

ARIZONA: Voters rejected Proposition 128, which would have allowed the legislature to amend or repeal voter-approved ballot measures that are ruled unconstitutional. But voters gave the okay to a separate measure, Proposition 129, which would require initiatives to stick to a single subject. Voters also backed a proposition to create a lieutenant governor; under current law, the Secretary of State takes over if the governor quits.

ARKANSAS: The new team at the top of the ticket are setting a pair of firsts: Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Lt. Gov.-elect Leslie Rutledge (R) are the first two women to hold their respective positions. Voters rejected Issue 2, which would have required future ballot measures to pass with a three-fifths supermajority.

CALIFORNIA: Sen. Alex Padilla (D) became the first Latino to win election to represent California in the upper chamber. He was appointed to the seat in 2021. Voters backed a ban on flavored tobacco products, but they rejected a new tax on high income earners that would have funded zero-emission vehicle fleets. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) opposed the tax measure, though state Democrats backed it. 

COLORADO: Voters approved a measure ending some tax deductions to fund school lunch programs. Ballot measures to allow alcohol delivery and to expand retail liquor licenses both failed, and a measure to allow wine sales in grocery stores is passing by the skin of its teeth, 50.2% to 49.8%, with some votes yet to count.

CONNECTICUT: Voters overwhelmingly approved a measure amending the state constitution to allow in-person early voting. The Northeast’s resistance to expanded voting access is a twin legacy of Dutch colonists who wanted to restrict the vote and early New Englanders who held town meetings with mass civic participation.

DELAWARE: Voters elected an all-woman slate of statewide officers this year, including Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D), Treasurer Colleen Davis (D) and Auditor Lydia York (D). Expect Jennings to run for governor in 2024, when Gov. John Carney (D) faces term limits.

FLORIDA: Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) 59% of the vote was the best performance by any candidate in a gubernatorial election since Bob Graham (D) won re-election in 1982. Republicans will hold every statewide office for the first time since Reconstruction.

GEORGIA: Voters approved Amendment 1, a constitutional change to suspend pay for public officials indicted on felony charges. Who were the 12% who voted against that one?!? Marcus Flowers, the Democrat who ran against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R), raised more than $15 million — and took 34% of the vote.

HAWAII: Sen. Brian Schatz (D) took 71.2% of the vote, the highest vote share of anyone who ran for the U.S. Senate in any state this year. State Sen. Kurt Fevella (R) ran for re-election unopposed. He will remain the lone Republican in the upper chamber.

IDAHO: We told you about the 100,000 people who voted for Ammon Bundy in the governor’s race. State House Speaker Scott Bedke (R) is going to have to resign as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures — Bedke won election as lieutenant governor.

ILLINOIS: Voters approved a constitutional amendment to add the right to collective bargaining. Democrats maintained control of the state Supreme Court, winning two open seats in downstate districts by narrow margins.

INDIANA: Secretary of State-elect Diego Morales (R) ousted incumbent Holli Sullivan (R) in the June party convention. He left two jobs in the Secretary of State’s office, in 2009 and 2011, under pressure after poor performance reviews. Morales immigrated to the United States from Guatemala as a teenager.

IOWA: Attorney General Tom Miller (D) lost his re-election bid to Guthrie County Attorney Brenna Bird (R). Miller was the longest-serving attorney general in the United States; he held office from 1979 to 1991, and from 1995 until he leaves office in January.

KANSAS: Former Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) is back. The immigration hardliner who lost a bid for governor four years ago and the U.S. Senate in 2020 won election to be Kansas’s next attorney general.

KENTUCKY: Voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have explicitly stated there is no right to an abortion by a 48%-52% margin. Billionaire crypto investor Sam Bankman-Fried had a really bad week, but one of the candidates he backed, Morgan McGarvey (D), won election to represent Louisville in Congress.

LOUISIANA: Voters rejected a constitutional amendment to allow civil servants to support relatives running for political office. Sen. John Kennedy (R) took 61.6% of the vote, the best showing by any Louisiana senator since John Breaux (D) won re-election in 1998.

MAINE: Gov. Janet Mills (D) won re-election with 55% of the vote, the best showing by a Maine gubernatorial candidate since Angus King (I) won re-election in 1998. Her opponent, former Gov. Paul LePage (R), won his first term in office in 2010 with just 37.6% of the vote.

MARYLAND: Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) will be the first Black governor in state history. Two-thirds of voters backed a ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, and 90% voted for a measure strengthening residency requirements for state legislators.

MASSACHUSETTS: Like Arkansas, the top two officials in the Bay State next year will be women — Gov.-elect Maura Healey (D), the first woman to win election to the governorship, and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll (D). But Massachusetts voters weren’t in the mood to expand access to alcohol; a ballot measure to increase the number of alcohol licenses failed, 45%-55%.

MICHIGAN: Democrats will control both chambers of the legislature and the governorship for the first time since 1984 after the party swept to bigger-than-expected wins. Voters also approved a constitutional amendment adding nine days of early voting and new state-funded absentee ballot drop boxes.

MINNESOTA: Democrats recaptured control of the state Senate, giving them another trifecta. Gov. Tim Walz (D) skated to re-election by an almost 8 point margin. Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) survived by a much narrower margin of about 21,000 votes out of almost 2.5 million cast, less than a percentage point. 

MISSISSIPPI: Mississippi voters had less to vote on than anyone else in the country — all four members of Congress won re-election easily, and most state elections are held in odd-numbered years. The only action came in the 37th legislative district, where voters chose local YMCA director Andy Boyd to fill a vacancy left by a legislator’s death earlier this year. Special elections in Mississippi are technically nonpartisan.

MISSOURI: Voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana by a 53%-47% margin, making Missouri one of the reddest states to approve legal pot. Voters also approved an amendment creating a new state department for the National Guard, but they voted against calling a new constitutional convention.

MONTANA: Another red state voted against an anti-abortion measure when voters here rejected a referendum that would criminalize health care providers who do not make efforts to save infants “born during an attempted abortion.” Voters did approve a constitutional amendment to require law enforcement to obtain a search warrant to gain access to electronic data, by a wide 82%-18% margin.

NEBRASKA: Voters approved a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026, and to index the wage to inflation after that. They also passed a measure requiring a photo identification to vote.

NEVADA: Gov.-elect Joe Lombardo (R) is the first candidate to knock off a sitting governor since Richard Bryan (D) defeated Bob List (R) back in 1982. Silver State voters also passed a minimum wage hike to $12 an hour, and they appear to have become the third state in the nation, after Alaska and Maine, to approve ranked-choice voting.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: How closely divided is the Granite State? You could point to Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who took 57% of the vote, and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D), who took 54%, and calculate the tens of thousands of voters who split tickets between them. Or you could point to the 400-member state House of Representatives; Republicans appear to have won a 203-197 majority, with lots of races yet to be called.

NEW JERSEY: Political dynasties have a home in the Garden State. New Jersey’s congressional delegation will soon include Rep.-elect Rob Menendez (D), son of Sen. Bob Menendez (D), and Rep.-elect Tom Kean Jr., son of the former governor and chairman of the 9/11 Commission. They’ll join Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D), who succeeded his father a decade ago, and Rep. Donald Norcross (D), brother of South Jersey powerbroker George Norcross.

NEW MEXICO: Voters approved a new constitutional amendment that will allow the legislature to provide funds for residential services, like internet, electric, gas and water. They also approved new education funding that will come out of the Land Grant Permanent Fund, primarily to expand early childhood education.

NEW YORK: Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is the first woman to win election as governor. DCCC chairman Sean Patrick Maloney (D) lost his own seat, while Rep. Pat Ryan (D), the former Ulster County executive who won a surprise upset in a special election earlier this year, survived to win a full term. Voters approved a $4.2 billion bond measure aimed at climate change resilience.

NORTH CAROLINA: After years in which the Democratic-controlled Supreme Court acted as a check on the Republican-controlled legislature, the GOP finally seized control, winning an open seat and ousting Justice Sam Ervin IV — the grandson of the late senator. The two races are going to have major implications for redistricting in the next decade.

NORTH DAKOTA: Sen. John Hoeven (R) won re-election, but independent Rick Becker, an arch conservative state legislator who challenged Hoeven in the primary, won 18.5% of the vote. Voters approved term limits for governors and legislators, but they rejected a recreational marijuana ballot measure 45%-55%.

OHIO: Like North Carolina, Republicans scored a big win in recapturing the state Supreme Court. The GOP already had a 4-3 majority, but Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor ruled repeatedly against Republican-drawn legislative lines, frustrating lawmakers who even grumbled about impeaching her. O’Connor retired this year, and Justice Sharon Kennedy (R) won the right to replace her over Justice Jennifer Brunner (D). Republicans won re-election to two other Supreme Court seats as well. Justice Pat DeWine (R) took 2,260,000 votes — about a quarter-million votes fewer than his dad, Gov. Mike DeWine (R), received.

OKLAHOMA: Sen. James Lankford (R) and Sen.-elect Markwayne Mullin (R) easily beat their Democratic rivals in this very, very red state. Lankford won every county in the state. Mullin lost one — Oklahoma County, by a 51%-46% margin. Senate Republicans actually increased their control over the chamber, winning 40 out of 48 seats.

OREGON: Gov.-elect Tina Kotek (D) maintained a Democratic winning streak that’s been alive since 1986. Oregon voters passed Measure 113, which would disqualify legislators from serving if they miss legislative session days — a response to recent walkouts in which Republicans have blocked Democratic priorities.

PENNSYLVANIA: Democrats appear to have recaptured control of the state House, winning 101 seats to the GOP’s 100. Two virtually tied races have yet to be called. State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) ran a pretty lackluster race for governor, but his 41.9% still outperformed the 2018 Republican nominee, then-state Sen. Scott Wagner (R).

RHODE ISLAND: State Treasurer Seth Magaziner (D) started the year challenging Gov. Dan McKee (D) in the Democratic primary. He’ll end it with a seat in Congress, after beating out former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung (R) in the race for an open seat. Republicans haven’t won a U.S. House seat in Rhode Island since Ronald Machtley quit to run for governor in 1994.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Republicans had a stellar night in the state House, where they picked up seven seats. Most of the seats Democrats lost are in rural districts, though they managed to drop seats in suburban Columbia and suburban Charleston, as Gov. Henry McMaster (R) romped to re-election.

SOUTH DAKOTA: There was a South Dakota State University poll conducted in early October that showed state Rep. Jamie Smith (D) running close to Gov. Kristi Noem. Yeah, not so much. Noem won with 62%. Voters approved expanding Medicaid, but they rejected a legalized marijuana measure, 47%-53%.

TENNESSEE: Voters approved a constitutional amendment banning workplaces from requiring union membership as a condition of employment, also known as a right-to-work law. They also amended the constitution to lift a ban on members of the clergy running for the state legislature.

TEXAS: Voters across the state approved 114 bond measures that will generate almost $13 billion for road and infrastructure projects. Most of the money will go to Municipal Utility Districts that are sprouting up as so many people move to the Lone Star State. Democrats didn’t make a serious play for control of either the state House or Senate.

UTAH: Evan McMullin’s challenge to Sen. Mike Lee (R) fizzled in the end, as Lee cruised to a new term with 55% of the vote. McMullin did best in Summit and Salt Lake counties, where he took 60% and 57%. There remain lots of legislative races with ballots left to count, but Republicans have at least maintained their supermajorities.

VERMONT: Gov. Phil Scott (R) did not run a single television advertisement. He won with 71% of the vote. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit slavery and indentured servitude, and another one that provides a constitutional right to an abortion.

VIRGINIA: Like Mississippi, Virginia’s state elections are held in off years. But at least three of Virginia’s congressional elections were competitive; state Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) ousted Rep. Elaine Luria in southeastern Virginia, while Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Jennifer Wexton (D) won re-election bids.

WASHINGTON: Sen. Patty Murray (D) is in line to be president pro tem if Democrats retain the U.S. Senate, the first time a Washingtonian will be so high up in the presidential line of succession since Speaker Tom Foley (D) lost re-election in 1994. If Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) holds onto her lead over Republican Joe Kent in the southwestern 3rd district, Democrats will control every seat in the U.S. House that touches the Pacific Ocean.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Voters approved Initiative 82, a measure that will increase the minimum wage for tipped workers from $5.05 to the current minimum wage for non-tipped workers. Business groups and servers opposed the measure, but it was popular in a deep-blue city: 74% voted for it.

WEST VIRGINIA: Here’s a red state that’s only getting redder. Democrats appear to have lost as many as half the few remaining seats they held in the state House. Republicans won at least 88 of the 100 seats, up from 78 in the last election. It’s even worse in the state Senate, where Democrats will have four seats, down from 11 last year.

WISCONSIN: Republicans came within a whisker of winning a legislative supermajority, even as Gov. Tony Evers (D) survived to win a second term. Secretary of State Doug La Follette (D), who has served for all but four of the last 48 years, leads his Republican challenger by a little under 8,000 votes out of 2.6 million cast.

WYOMING: The Cowboy State is home to the smallest Democratic caucus in America. Just two of 31 senators are Democrats, and we bet the fight over who gets to be minority leader is fierce. Wyoming Republicans actually picked up seats in the state House, where they now control 57 of 62 seats. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow local governments to invest in stocks.

Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified South Dakota state Rep. Jamie Smith’s party affiliation. Smith is a Democrat.