Republicans won control of the Virginia Senate — by less than 100 votes, apparently — but in just about every other race, they took a drubbing:

In Ohio, GOP Gov. John Kasich’s union-stripping measure went down, 61 percent to 39 percent. In a statement after the vote was called, Kasich acknowledged the loss, “It’s clear the people have spoken. I heard their voices. I understand their decision. And frankly, I respect what the people have to say in an effort like this. And as a result of that, it requires me to take a deep breath and to spend some time to reflect on what happened here.”

In Mississippi, the “every sperm is sacred” anti-abortion law was defeated, 58 percent to 42 percent — a win for women’s reproductive choice that came as something of a surprise.

Conversely, voters in both states approved initiatives that were nominal wins for the right. In Ohio, voters approved a measure that would prohibit the state from enacting the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, a component of the law that was created by the right wing Heritage Foundation in the 1990s. And in Mississippi, voters approved a new Jim Crow-style law that requires residents to show government identity cards before they can vote.

Speaking of Jim Crow, in Arizona, Republican state Sen. Russell Pearce, author of the state’s “papers please” law, was voted out in a recall election. (He was defeated by a fellow Republican.)

But in Kentucky, the Democratic candidate for governor won as did one of our favorite politicians, Attorney General Jack Conway, who defeated a Sarah Palin-bot tea partyist to win reelection.