The 2023 elections are almost over — just a handful of races are still being decided — and the consensus is that Democrats have plenty of reasons to celebrate. Despite President Biden’s flagging popularity, Democrats scored key wins in the Virginia General Assembly, Ohio ballot measures supporting abortion and marijuana, and a high-profile governor’s race in Kentucky.

The bigger picture, of course, is more complicated. Gov. Andy Beshear’s victory in Kentucky is notable because he won in an overwhelmingly pro-Trump state, where every other Democrat running for state office lost this year. The Democrats’ ability to win majorities in the Virginia House and Senate this year stands out because those are now the only two legislative chambers in the South not under Republican control. Democratic success stories are newsworthy because they are exceptions to the rule.

But 2023 did offer a rough blueprint for progressives in the South. Beshear and Virginia Democrats embraced popular discontent with Republican abortion bans, as the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision continues to echo through state and local politics. Beshear eschewed national partisan politics while pointing to his track record of helping communities on practical issues, such as recovering from natural disasters.

Perhaps most importantly, 2023 affirmed a political truism: When you compete, you can win — or at least come close. Together, Virginia’s legislative contests and the gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi — where the Democrat lost by under four points — attracted more than $200 million in political spending, fueling competitive races in areas often written off as conservative strongholds.

Below is a rundown of key Southern elections and issues on the ballot that Facing South followed in 2023.

Virginia General Assembly

One of the brightest spots for progressives in 2023 was the Virginia General Assembly, where Democrats reclaimed the House, and maintained a majority in the Senate.

Of the 26 legislative chambers in Southern states, Republicans controlled all but one coming into this year’s elections: the Virginia Senate. After decades of relative competitiveness, Southern legislatures shifted to Republican control beginning in 2010. That gave conservatives control over the redistricting process, and GOP lawmakers moved swiftly to draw favorable maps that further cemented their dominance.

Before the 2023 elections, Republicans held 69% of Southern state senate seats, and 69% of those in state house chambers, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.

In Virginia, Democrats won both legislative chambers in 2019, then lost the state House and the governorship in 2021. Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Republicans were clear about their goals for 2023: win back the Senate and gain a trifecta that would allow them to push through a conservative policy agenda, including a ban on abortion after 15 weeks.

The prospect of GOP abortion limits likely ended up helping Democrats: A poll released before the elections found 54% of likely Virginia voters opposed or strongly opposed the 15-week ban.

All of the state’s 40 Senate seats and 100 House seats were up for grabs, with highly competitive races around Hampton Roads and the suburbs of Richmond and Washington. New legislative maps drawn after the 2020 census were largely viewed as balanced. The races also attracted vast sums of money: By the time the final campaign finance........

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