5 Important Political Races to Watch in 2023 for Americans

With the looming question of whether President Joe Biden will be elected to another term, and Democrats and Republicans jockeying for positions to wrestle over control of Congress, the eyes of many Americans are fixated on 2024.

Yet there are numerous off-year statewide races across the country in 2023 that could set the stage for higher-profile elections next year.

Gubernatorial races in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi could have an impact on the 2024 presidential election in those states.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is term-limited, so Republicans see an opportunity for victory.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) are seeking another term and face significant challenges.

State legislative elections in New Jersey and Virginia will determine what party holds majority control.

Kentucky Governor’s Race

Mr. Beshear, the son of a former Kentucky governor who serves in a state that former President Donald Trump won by 25 points in 2020, is running for a second term after winning in 2019 by less than a percentage point in a contentious race against former Gov. Matt Bevin.

An October 2022 poll from Morning Consult showed that Mr. Beshear was rated one of the 10 most popular governors in the United States with a 59 percent approval rating.

Republicans have criticized Mr. Beshear’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming that he did not work with the GOP-controlled state legislature in enacting mandates.

Mr. Beshear does not link himself to national Democrats and focuses more on local and state issues.

In an interview with The Associated Press in late December, Mr. Beshear criticized Mr. Trump as well as Mr. Biden. He insisted that he did not need or seek Biden’s help for his gubernatorial re-election campaign.

Republican challengers are reminding voters that Beshear vetoed a bill banning transgender youth from medical treatment, which was overridden by the GOP-controlled legislature.

State Attorney General Daniel Cameron won the Republican primary. He is endorsed by Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cameron received 47.7 percent of the vote compared to state agricultural commissioner Ryan Quarles (21.7 percent) and Kelly Craft, who was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump (17.2 percent).

Mr. Beshear handily won the Democrat primary with 91.3 percent of the vote.

The general election is set for Nov. 7.

Louisiana Governor’s Race

Mr. Bel Edwards cannot seek another term because of term limits.

Mr. Trump won Louisiana in 2020. Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the Louisiana governor’s race as “lean Republican.”

Nine candidates are running to replace Mr. Bel Edwards in the all-party primary set for Oct. 14.

Louisiana uses a majority vote system in its elections. Candidates from both parties appear on the primary ballot. A candidate can win outright with more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote recipients advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

A recent poll conducted by Kaplan Strategies showed that 30 percent of the respondents support Mr. Landry while Democratic candidate Shawn Wilson was second at 22 percent.

Other Republicans running include state treasurer John Schroder, state representative Richard Nelson, state senate majority leader Sharon Hewitt, and Stephen Waguespack. Independent Hunter Lundy is also in the race.

There was speculation that Republican Sen. John Kennedy would run for governor, but two months after securing another congressional term, he announced he would stay in the Senate.

The general election will be held on Nov. 18.

Mr. Landry, who is endorsed by Mr. Trump, was elected Louisiana’s attorney general in 2015 and won another term in 2019. He served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2013.

A Remington Research Group poll completed on June 25 showed that Mr. Wilson leads the race with 27 percent followed by Mr. Landry (25 percent) and Mr. Waguespack (16 percent).

Mississippi Governor’s Race

In Mississippi, both senators and all but one House member are Republicans.

Mr. Reeves, a Republican, won his first term in 2019 against Democrat Jim Hood, who was the state’s attorney general at the time.

Morning Consult reported that 49 percent of the state’s registered voters approved of Mr. Reeves in the last quarter of 2022.

Brandon Presley, who is Mississippi Public Service Commissioner for the Northern District and a distant relative of Elvis Presley, has no major opposition in the Democrat primary.

He has secured endorsements from national Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and Mr. Bel Edwards.

Mr. Bel Edwards and Mr. Murphy have hosted fundraisers for Presley.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) is also backing Mr. Presley, who in a campaign video promoted his ties to the more widely known Mr