But the lesson of Tuesday’s off-year elections is bigger than the political fallout from the Dobbs decision. Across the country, voters rewarded experience, rejected extremism — in both parties — and sought balance in government. In Virginia, where the popular Mr. Youngkin wasn’t personally on the ballot but campaigned hard for a GOP legislature, Democrats succeeded by running as a check on potential overreach. In Kentucky, where legislators weren’t up for reelection, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) positioned himself as a governor — in the mechanical sense of regulating acceleration — on ultraconservative supermajorities in both chambers.
Former president Donald Trump carried the Bluegrass State by 26 points in 2020, but many Republicans voted to reelect Mr. Beshear because he governed competently through the pandemic and civil unrest of 2020, a deadly tornado in 2021, and devastating floods in 2022. Kentuckians also rewarded Secretary of State Michael Adams (R), in the primary and general elections, for his strong stand against election denial. He blasted the “demagoguery” and “hogwash” of those who claim the 2020 election was stolen from Mr. Trump. He worked with Mr. Beshear to expand absentee and early voting. Mr. Adams also refused to join other conservative election officials who pulled out of a bipartisan consortium called the Electronic Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC, which helps fight voter fraud but was the target of a pro-Trump campaign that falsely accused the group of being a left-wing plot to add more minority voters to the rolls.
Voters prize serious-minded leadership. It also happened in Fairfax County, where Supervisor Patrick S. “Pat” Herrity (R-Springfield) beat the odds in a blue district to survive as the only Republican left on the 10-member board of Virginia’s most populous county. Mr. Herrity was rewarded for fiscal responsibility and a pragmatic streak.
Another lesson Tuesday: Public safety remains a paramount concern. Democrats who distanced themselves from defund-the-police sloganeering and took citizen concerns seriously fared well. In Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker cruised to victory by promising to hire hundreds more police officers and restore stop-and-frisk strategies, within constitutional limitations. She’ll be the city’s first female mayor. Meanwhile, in suburban Loudoun County outside D.C., progressive Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj (D) trails a GOP challenger. Ms. Biberaj lost significant support after she brought charges, following an altercation at a school board meeting, against the father of a girl who had been sexually assaulted in a high school restroom. Many in Loudoun saw her as focusing on that as opposed to what they considered higher enforcement priorities.
Typical of the statewide pattern in Virginia, however, Loudoun also backed pro-choice Democrat Russet Perry for Senate in one of the state’s most expensive races. The result is that Virginia will remain the only Southern state that hasn’t restricted abortion since Dobbs. Divided government could be a blessing in disguise for Mr. Youngkin. The last time they won a trifecta, 12 years ago, Virginia Republicans moved to mandate invasive transvaginal ultrasounds to deter pregnant women from seeking abortions in the name of “informed consent.” Then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell withdrew his support after massive protests and pushed the legislature to revise the measure. If the GOP held big enough majorities next year, the General Assembly might have tried to roll back gun control, voting access and carbon-emission limits.
Now Mr. Youngkin has an opportunity to focus more on governing than dealing with speculation about a possible late entry into the presidential race. Democrats should work with him to find common ground on vital issues such as raising educational standards, improving mental health, modernizing infrastructure and combating fentanyl. A budget surplus allows room for the state to make strategic investments consistent with a competitive tax structure.
There’s a national lesson in this, too, though to be sure there’s no federal budget surplus. With a partial government shutdown looming on Nov. 17, leaders in both parties must find a way to make divided government work for their constituents. Tuesday was a mandate for moderation.
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