Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) says his state’s vote Tuesday to enshrine abortion rights “was a gut punch” for anti-abortion officials such as himself.

In a lengthy post online, Vance, who campaigned against the effort to ensure abortion access, attempted to parse out why the measure won with support from nearly 57 percent of voters.

“For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it,” he wrote.

“We have to recognize how much voters mistrust us (meaning elected Republicans) on this issue,” he added.

The 2023 general election on Tuesday, November 7, featured only a grab-bag group of contests, but there was one clear overall theme in the results: Democrats did well.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) won reelection in deep-red Kentucky. Democrats held onto the Virginia state Senate and took over the Virginia state House, blocking Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s hopes of passing conservative policies (and perhaps his ambitions in national politics). Meanwhile, Ohio voters enshrined the protection of abortion rights in the state constitution and legalized recreational cannabis.

Up until last night, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was seen as a probable kingmaker, potential Republican presidential contender, and the future of a party in disarray.

In an election where every seat in the state legislature was on the ballot, Democrats kept their narrow advantage in the state Senate and wrested control of the House of Delegates from the GOP. Youngkin might not have been on the ballot himself, but he is absolutely the election’s biggest loser.

President Joe Biden has declared that "MAGA lost" as he celebrated Tuesday's election results that saw wins for Democrats and a significant victory for abortion rights in Ohio.

Biden took to social media site X, formerly Twitter, and praised the results of elections that saw Democrats rack up notable wins in the Kentucky governor's race and in the Virginia legislature.

Democrats in Virginia on Tuesday night retained their majority in the state Senate — a blow to Republicans who were hoping to achieve total control of the state legislature and boost Gov. Glenn Youngkin in his final two years in office. 

The GOP also lost control of Virginia’s House of Delegates, with Democrats set to win at least 51 seats in the 100-member lower chamber. 

Democrats will retain control of the Virginia state Senate and flipped the state House of Delegates from Republicans, according to Associated Press projections, despite GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's attempts to win total GOP control of the state legislature.

The AP projects at least 21 Democrats have been elected to the state Senate and 51 Democrats have been elected to the state House of Delegates. It's unclear how strong the Democratic majority will be in each chamber.

Democrats saw a successful Election Night on Tuesday, scoring wins in a number of competitive contests. 

In deep-red Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear sailed to reelection, while in Virginia Democrats flipped control of the House of Delegates and maintained control of the state Senate. 

Abortion rights advocates also saw a number of wins, most notably in Ohio, where voters chose to enshrine abortion protections. 

Ohio voters decided to codify reproductive freedom into the state constitution on Tuesday in a monumental win for abortion rights supporters.

Issue 1, also known as the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative, will add language to the Ohio Constitution declaring that anyone in the state has a right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including decisions about abortion care, contraception, miscarriage care and fertility treatment.