Voters will be lining up at the polls tomorrow to cast their ballots in critical races nationwide. And while Tuesday’s election may be flying under the radar, that doesn’t make it any less consequential.
Several states are hosting elections, but the some of the most closely watched races are in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia. These elections could have significant impacts on the lives of Black Americans in those states and across the country. So here’s what you need to know ahead of Tuesday:
Kentucky Election
Multiple races in Kentucky should be on your radar. For starters, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear is running against Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Cameron, who is Black, was tasked with investigating the horrific killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor. He declared her death “justified,” sparking outrage from Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, who has actively campaigned against him. “He decided that we didn’t matter,” Palmer told reporters, according to the AP, in a downtown Louisville. “He decided that Breonna didn’t deserve justice.”
Cameron was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police, which should give folks a bit of a hint on where he stands on the issues. In addition to his law and order style of politics, Cameron is also staunchly anti-abortion.
Another race worth noting in Kentucky is Colonel Pam Stevenson’s run for Attorney General. Stevenson, a retired Air Force colonel, was hand-selected by Gov. Beshear to run for Attorney General. If she wins, Stevenson would be the first Black woman Attorney General in the state. The Root interviewed Col. Stevenson earlier this year about her race:
“I served 27 years in the Air Force and retired as a Colonel and came back to do for Kentucky what I did for America,” she said, “because they gave me the difficult jobs in the Air Force, negotiations, traveling all around the world, just working with people of all different cultures just making things happen for America. And I was pretty good.”
Mississippi Election
Mississippi is another race that should definitely be on Black Americans’ minds. Republican Governor Tate Reeves is running against Democrat Brandon Pressley. (Yes, he is related to Elvin Pressley).
Gov. Reeves has faced significant criticism for his treatment of Black Mississippians, particularly in Jackson, Mississippi. For example, last year, the NAACP filed a federal complaint against Reeves, arguing that he and other Mississippi officials’ neglect of the majority-Black city’s water system led to the repeated crises facing Jackson residents.
Black voters, who lean heavily democratic, make up a significant chunk of the electorate in Mississippi compared to the rest of the nation. However, the state is deep red. High turnout among Black voters this year, could have significant impacts on the race. The latest available polls show a neck-and-neck race, with Reeves slightly ahead of his Democratic challenger. If Pressley wins, he’ll be the first Democratic governor of the state in nearly twenty years.
Virginia Election
The stakes in Virginia are incredibly high this election cycle. All 40 state Senate seats and 100 state House seats are up this year, which means both parties are battling it out for control of the state legislature.
The real question in this year’s election will be whether voters deliver a rubber stamp to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s conservative agenda. Gov. Youngkin created a hotline targeting any teaching of “CRT,” he reversed policies protecting transgender children in schools, he’s made it more difficult for people with felonies to have their voting rights restored, and he’s advocated for a 15-week abortion ban.