Comment Good morning. Grab your coffee and let’s get into the post-election analysis ☕ This morning’s update: Abortion rights groups secured some major victories last night. But on Capitol Hill, control of Congress still hangs in the balance. Republicans remain poised to take the House, though Democrats are holding up better than strategists expected. The Senate plays. But first…

Asking voters worked well for abortion rights advocates, even in Kentucky DETROIT — The atmosphere was jubilant here just before 1 a.m. as dozens of Michigan Democrats watched the results across the country. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), who has centered her campaign around abortion access perhaps more than any other gubernatorial candidate, said she feels “very good” about her prospects. About 30 minutes later, major news outlets — including The Post — called the contest in her favor. It was a good night for abortion rights in states where voters were asked directly about the issue on their ballots. It was more of a mixed bag for governors and lawmakers in states where those tribes could determine whether abortion remained legal. Several critical gubernatorial contests — such as in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — also broke in favor of abortion rights supporters. North Carolina Republicans have failed to secure a supermajority in the state legislature, meaning they won’t have the power to override the Democratic governor’s veto. Meanwhile, Republican incumbents in Florida and Georgia will remain in office, opening the door for further restrictions on the process to pass in the future.

Michigan voters are expected to approve an amendment enshrining access to abortion in the state constitution. An abortion advocate tweeted: “This proved what we knew,” wrote Nicole Wells Stallworth, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan. “Michigans want legal abortion and reproductive freedom.” As expected, similar amendments were pushed in California and Vermont, where abortion rights were already protected. In Republican-leaning Kentucky, an amendment expressly stating that nothing in the state constitution creates a right to abortion is projected to be defeated by an estimated 86% of the vote. Abortion rights groups took credit for a “historic victory” in a press release at 12:08 am. this morning.

The results will likely embolden abortion rights advocates across the country, who see a direct appeal to voters as one of the only ways to circumvent restrictions in conservative and swing states. Since Congress is still open, the election post-mortem will likely revolve around the issue of abortion. Democrats spent heavily to try to deflect public outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in votes in favor of the party. Caroline Kitchener of The Post: It is not yet clear which party will control the Congress. That still leaves the fate of President Biden’s health care agenda up in the air on Capitol Hill. House Republicans remain favored to retake the chamber. The party needs to win five seats and could do so after winning some victories in targeted constituencies. But the results were not what the party expected, even with many matches being too early. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had hoped to declare victory last night. Instead, after 2 a.m., he took to the stage looking confident, but narrowly avoided a victory lap, reports our colleague Leigh Ann Caldwell. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) noted early this morning that dire predictions for Democrats to lose dozens of seats have not materialized, at least so far. Health policy at stake: Top GOP leaders seek to set the agenda for chamber committees, compel testimony and obtain documents — power the party lacked during the pandemic. The GOP is planning a series of investigations into the origins of covid-19, prescription drug middlemen, pandemic response dollars and key federal health agencies. The Senate is still open. Democrats flipped a crucial seat with John Fetterman’s victory over Mehmet Oz. But races in battleground states like Arizona, Nevada and Georgia have not been called. A repeat of 2020 is likely, where the contest in Georgia could go to a runoff – and potentially delay securing a majority for either party for another month. Health policy at stake: Rather a partisan impasse. Democrats will need to control both chambers to break new ground on a sweeping economic package. And even if Republicans win the House and Senate, Biden can veto their agenda. Chad Pergram, senior congressional correspondent for Fox News:

  1. GOP KY Sen. Rand Paul on his re-election: When I return to the Senate. As President. I promise you this. The COVID cover up will end. I will subpoena every last document by Dr. Fauci.. Congress has not held a single hearing to investigate the origins of COVID. — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 9, 2022

Gubernatorial races that could affect the future of legal abortion Democratic incumbents held most of their territory last night, reversing a Republican red wave that will allow them to defend abortion restrictions from Republican-dominated state legislatures. Here’s a snapshot of the most anticipated ruler races: In Michigan… Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer beat her Republican challenger, conservative commentator Tudor Dixon, after a hard-fought re-election campaign that put abortion in the spotlight. Whitmer is behind the lawsuit that has blocked almost the entire pre-Roe to bring the abortion ban into effect. In Pennsylvania … Attorney General Josh Shapiro won the state’s gubernatorial contest against Republican Doug Mastriano, keeping the swing state governor’s mansion in Democratic control. Shapiro has vowed to veto any anti-abortion legislation passed by the Republican-led state legislature. In Wisconsin… Democratic Gov. Tony Evers secured re-election early today after a tight race against Republican Tim Michels. Evers is now in a position to veto future abortion restrictions from the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature, which is expected to consider a six-week ban on the procedure if a lawsuit blocking the preRoe the ban prevails in court. In Florida … Republican Governor Ron DeSantis won last night, defeating Democratic challenger Charlie Crist for a second term. His victory clears a clear path for the state’s GOP-controlled legislature to further restrict abortion access in Florida, which currently has a 15-week ban on the procedure. In Georgia … Republican Gov. Brian Kemp fended off Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in a high-profile rematch of their 2018 contest. He and the state’s Republican-led legislature will likely face pressure from anti-abortion groups to enact a full ban the process, which is currently limited to about six weeks. Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs and Republican challenger Kari Lake remain in a race for governor of Arizona this morning. In Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is in a tight race against Republican state Attorney General Derek Schmidt to continue leading the state. Josh Shapiro, governor-elect of Pennsylvania (D):

Three states where abortion policy matters in attorney general races As of 7 a.m., The Post has yet to call the attorneys general to the races. The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade pushed those negative votes to the forefront as the office may be the last line of defense to preserve abortion access against many Republican-controlled state legislatures. Keeping an eye on: Arizona’s high-stakes battle between Democratic candidate Kris Mayes and Republican challenger Abraham Hamadeh. Wisconsin’s tight race between incumbent Democrat Josh Kaul and Republican challenger Eric Toney. and Georgia’s close fight between Republican Attorney General Chris Carr and Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, which could have implications for those who help people in the state gain illegal access to abortion beyond the six-month limit weeks. Kris Mayes, Democratic candidate for Arizona Attorney General:

Voters weigh in on health initiatives Ballots to limit or codify access to abortion have dominated public attention ahead of the midterm elections, but voters yesterday weighed in on initiatives across the health care spectrum. Here’s how anti-abortion measures have evolved: Medicaid expanded: South Dakotans approved an initiative to expand Medicaid benefits to about 42,000 low-income residents, the Associated Press reports. A checkered night for cannabis advocates: Voters approved recreational marijuana for adults in Maryland and Missouri, but rejected it in Arkansas and North Dakota — a mixed result that underscores disparate support for legalization in more conservative parts of the country. A new model for medical debt: More than 70 percent of Arizonans voted to cap the interest rate on medical debt, a measure that has been touted as a way to protect state residents from predatory debt collection, according to AP. Dialysis regulations fail again: For the third time in three consecutive elections, California voters rejected a union-backed initiative that would have tightened restrictions on dialysis clinics across the state, according to the AP. Flavored tobacco ban found: More than 60 percent of Californians voted in favor of the state’s existing law banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products, which received bipartisan support from lawmakers but faced a fierce campaign of opposition from the tobacco industry . Nation’s first dental loss ratio: Massachusetts residents overwhelmingly approved a push to enact a loss ratio for dental insurance companies that will require them to spend more of patients’ money on their care, according to the AP. What else are we…