Ballots decide governors, legislators, plans for ‘ pot’
The governor’s race in Kentucky and a school- funding battle in Mississippi were among the top races Tuesday in what otherwise was a relatively low- key, off- year election cycle.
Just two states held elections for governor, and three had general state legislative elections.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, was leading against political newcomer Robert Gray, a long- haul trucker who was the winner of the Democratic primary, in his bid for re- election. With 1,170 precincts out of 1,811 reporting, Bryant had 273,221 votes to Gray’s 121,642.
“I get to keep doing the job that I love and hopefully making Mississippi a better place,” Bryant said in a phone interview from a victory party in downtown Jackson.
The governor’s race in Mississippi was largely overshadowed by a fight over a constitutional amendment that would allow people to sue the state to increase funding for public schools. Critics said it would take budget decisions away from Mississippi lawmakers and give the courts too much power. The Mississippi Legislature has put forward its own ballot measure that would prohibit “judicial enforcement” of school funding.
It was announced late Tuesday night that voters rejected the amendment. Vote counts were unavailable.
Six other Republican statewide officials also were leading in their efforts to be re- elected, and Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood was holding off a challenge from Republican Mike Hurst, a former federal prosecutor. With 1,441 of 1,811 precincts reporting, Hood had 283,253 votes to Hurst’s 226,077.
Voters were also filling regional offices and all 174 of Mississippi’s legislative seats.
In Kentucky’s gubernatorial race, Attorney General Jack Conway, a Democrat, conceded to Republican Matt Bevin. Bevin, a 48- year- old businessman, had waged a campaign to scale back the state’s Medicaid expansion that was made possible by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
In Houston, the nation’s fourth- largest city, efforts to secure nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people failed by a 2- to- 1 ratio. Now that same- sex marriage is legal, such laws have become a priority for gay, bisexual and transgender groups. Opponents, including a coalition of conservative pastors, said the measure would have infringed on their religious beliefs.
Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner and businessman Bill King, the former mayor of Houston suburb Kemah, were leading the race for Houston mayor, with 83 percent of precincts reporting. Since neither candidate won a majority, they were set to face each other in a runoff Dec. 12. Turner had 32 percent of the votes, and King had 25 percent.
Elsewhere, Ohio voters rejected a ballot proposal that would have legalized both recreational and medical marijuana in a single vote. With three- quarters of the votes counted, the issue was losing 65 percent to 35 percent.
Issue 3 would have allowed adults 21 and older to use, purchase or grow certain amounts of marijuana. It also outlined a proposed regulatory and taxation scheme for cannabis and created a network of 10 growing facilities.
And Colorado voters decided to let the state keep $ 66 million in tax revenue generated from the sale of recreational marijuana. An existing state law requires excess tax revenue to be returned to taxpayers, but on Tuesday voters agreed to make an exception with the marijuana revenue and direct it instead toward public education and drug- prevention programs.
In Michigan, two state lawmakers who were forced from office over an extramarital affair and a cover- up scheme ran Tuesday in crowded primary fields to win back their seats. Todd Courser, who resigned in September while facing expulsion, and Cindy Gamrat, who was expelled, sought the Republican nominations in special primary elections less than two months after their Sept. 11 ouster.
Gamrat had 10 percent of the vote with 78 percent of precincts reporting in her former southwestern Michigan district, losing to Mary Whiteford, a former nurse who helps run her family’s wealth management business. Courser had less than 4 percent of the vote with 61 percent of precincts reporting in his old Thumb- area seat. Farmer Gary Howell was leading in that race.