Businessman Matt Bevin is just the second Republican in four decades to hold the Governor’s office

Kentucky voters on Tuesday elected just the second Republican, businessman Matt Bevin, in four decades to hold the Governor’s office, in a race that hinged largely on President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform legislation.
Mr. Bevin had waged a campaign to scale back the state’s Medicaid expansion that was made possible under Mr. Obama’s federal health care overhaul. Some 4,00,000 lower-income people in Kentucky who gained health coverage under the Medicaid expansion could be affected.
The Republican also played up his support for Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples.
Troubling sign for Democrats
The result was a potentially troubling sign for Democrats ahead of next year’s Presidential election and represented a big win for Republicans as they continue to consolidate political power across the South.
Democrats also were thumped in Virginia, where they made a big push to win a majority in one chamber of the State Legislature.
Highest profile race
The gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky was the highest profile race in Tuesday’s off-year elections. The only other gubernatorial contest was in Mississippi, where Republican Gov. Phil Bryant easily won re-election over two candidates who ran low-budget campaigns.
Elsewhere, Ohio voters rejected a ballot initiative that sought to legalise the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana, and a measure about gay and transgender rights was driving voter turnout in Houston.
Vital bellwether of sentiment
Around the country, several high-profile ballot initiatives tested voter preferences on school funding, marijuana, gay and lesbian rights and the sharing economy. Despite the relatively low number of races, the results could be an important bellwether of sentiment ahead of next year’s presidential elections.
In Virginia, a swing state, Democrats failed in an expensive bid to take control of the State Senate and empower Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in negotiations with Republicans who control the state House.
Mayors on the ballot
Mayors in some 300 cities were also on the ballot. In Philadelphia, former long-time Councilman Jim Kenney was elected Mayor on a promise to fight poverty and push for universal pre-kindergarten education. In Salt Lake City, voters were choosing between the incumbent and a challenger who seeks to become the first gay person elected mayor of Utah’s capital.
In Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city, efforts to secure non-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people faced a key test. Now that same-sex marriage is legal, such laws have become a priority for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups. Opponents, including a coalition of conservative pastors, contend the measure infringes on their religious beliefs.
Could become first gay Mayor
The Salt Lake City mayoral race features two-term incumbent Ralph Becker, one of Mr. Obama’s appointees on a climate change task force, and former state lawmaker Jackie Biskupski. If Ms. Biskupski wins, she will be the city’s first openly gay mayor.
San Francisco voters were deciding a citizen-backed initiative to restrict the operations of Airbnb, the room-rental site, and a $310-million bond package for affordable housing.
In Washington State, a proposal backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen would add state penalties for anyone who imports certain animal products for commercial purposes, such as elephant ivory or rhino horns. And Colorado voters were deciding what to do with $66 million in tax revenue generated from the sale of recreational marijuana.