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(CNN) - Democrats celebrated Tuesday night, while US President Donald Trump and Republicans had to explain why they had lagged behind in one of the nation's most Republican states.
In Kentucky, Justice Secretary Andy Beshear, a Democrat, proclaimed his victory over Republican Governor Matt Bevin, maintaining a 0.4 percentage point lead after reports of all precincts, although Bevin said he would not grant defeat. Trump had tried to push Bevin by holding a rally with him on Monday night in Kentucky and telling Republican state voters that the outcome of the contest would be seen as a reflection on him.
If Beshear remains, he has said he would facilitate access to Medicaid, review the state's educational leadership and restore the voting rights of former criminals who have served their sentences.
In Virginia, the Democrats won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, granting the party full control of the state government and consolidating what had once been a decisive state as a party fort. Their victories open the door to new gun control laws, an increase in the minimum wage and other progressive measures that Republicans had previously blocked.
And in Mississippi, Republicans held on to the governorship, rejecting a veteran Democrat's bet for another possible surprise on election night. The victory of the Republican Party means that the state is likely to continue seeking tax cuts and opposing a Medicaid expansion.
Here are three conclusions from Tuesday's elections:
The Kentucky government race is a problem for Republicans
It is true that Bevin was a problematic candidate. He worked to reverse the expansion of Medicaid in Kentucky. His shameless style was displayed when he accused teachers who protested being "selfish" and having a "bully mentality" when they opposed their efforts to cut their pensions. Polls showed that he was among the least popular governors of the nation.
But make no mistake: at the national level, Republicans were totally involved with Bevin.
Trump spent Monday night meeting with Bevin in Kentucky. Last week, Vice President Mike Pence took a bus tour with the governor. And the Association of Republican Governors spent millions of dollars trying to boost it in the media.
Republicans were trying to explain Tuesday's result, in a state where Trump won by 30 percentage points, pointing out his victories in five state races on the ballot and throwing Bevin under the bus.
"The president almost dragged Governor Matt Bevin across the finish line, helping him compete harder than expected in what became a very close race at the end," said Trump Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale in a statement.
But the causes of criticism of Bevin - his combative personality, his penchant for controversy and the search for controversial policies - could also apply to Trump.
And Trump himself, just one night before, had said that the result of Bevin's re-election would be reflected in him.
“If you lose, they will say that Trump suffered the biggest defeat in the history of the world. That was the biggest. You can't let that happen to me, ”he told Bevin at his rally.
That the Republican Party lags behind in the race for governorship in a state that Trump won by 30 percentage points is a bad sign for the party in all areas. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Kentucky native in politics and a tough election veteran, is on the ballot next year. And although Tuesday's results do not necessarily predict problems for McConnell, they could mean that Amy McGrath, a major Democratic rival, will likely see an increase in fundraising.
If Beshear is finally certified as the winner, he has said he would pursue an agenda to make Medicaid more accessible: reestablish the policies of his father, the popular former governor Steve Beshear, who expanded the program before leaving office four years ago. He also said he would replace the Bevin state board of education and allow 140,000 former criminals who have served their sentences to vote.
A trifecta Democrat in Virginia
On Tuesday, Democrats cemented a new reality in Virginia: for decades a Republican stronghold, and then an oscillating state, is now controlled by Democrats.
The party won majorities in the Virginia House and Senate, gaining total control of the state government for the first time in two decades.
The victories put Governor Ralph Northam and the Democrats in the legislature in a position to pursue a progressive agenda, including arms control measures, which most Republicans had blocked, and a higher minimum wage.
With the "trifecta" of the House, the Senate and the governor's office, the Democrats will also control the redistricting process after the 2020 Census, drawing new maps for state and congressional legislative districts.
That was a key approach for the party due to losses at the state level during the administration of former President Barack Obama. Each trifecta represents a foothold that can be used to strengthen the ranks of the party in Congress and consolidate its status as a majority party in the local congress for another decade.
The results of Tuesday were a continuation of the collapse of years of the Republican Party in what until recently had been a decisive state.
Virginia voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election and elected Republican Governor Bob McDonnell in 2009, but has backed the presidential Democratic candidates and governor since those elections.
The victories completed a Democratic return in the state legislature that began in 2017, when Democrats made significant progress in the legislature, largely through suburban districts, and Northam easily won in an early sign of reaction against Trump's presidency. .
That election left the Republican Party with a majority in the House of Representatives 51-49 and a 21-19 advantage in the Senate, and the Democrats immediately began targeting legislative seats in hopes of gaining control this year.
But that return was threatened this year when Northam was accused of appearing in a photo of the yearbook with his face painted black, and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was accused of sexually assaulting two women.
Republicans win in Mississippi
The best news of the night for Republicans arrived in Mississippi, where they won the race to replace outgoing governor Phil Bryant.
The race for governorship in such a solidly republican state would normally not be cause for suspense. But Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves faced a serious challenge from Democratic Justice Secretary Jim Hood, a moderate candidate who had already won four times at the state level.
The race was partly a referendum on Medicaid expansion: Reeves, a conservative anti-spending, said it would continue state rejection of an expansion under Obamacare, while Hood said it would expand Medicaid to cover an additional 100,000 people.
Reeves was also reinforced by the appearance in the campaign of Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and Pence.
Trump congratulated Reeves on Tuesday night.
“Our big rally on Friday night moved the numbers of a draw to a big WIN. Great reaction under pressure, Tate, ”Trump tweeted.
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