Pot, LGBT Protections, Airbnb: Key Races and Issues in Tuesday Elections

While many Americans may be focused on the 2016 presidential race — still 371 days away — plenty of other heated elections and issues were decided Tuesday, NBC News reported.

Kentucky voters elected Republican Matt Bevin as governor, giving the GOP "near total control of statehouses in the South," according to NBC News.

Bevin, who defeated Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway, ran a campaign largely on the promise of cutting back on Medicaid expansion, The Associated Press reports.

"Nobody's losing anything," Bevin told NBC News in an interview Monday.

The former leader of Connecticut's largest city, who spent seven years in federal prison for corruption stemming from his last term, reclaimed Bridgeport's mayoral seat Tuesday in a stunning comeback bid.

"Tonight, we not only made history, but we defined a new course for this great city," Joe Ganim said upon declaring victory.

Democrats in Virginia also failed to take control of the Senate. Republicans have kept a 21-19 lead.

Meanwhile, voters in Houston rejected nondiscrimination protections to gay and transgender residents. The ordinance was passed by Houston’s City Council last year.

National gay rights groups have been fighting for equal protection measures, while some have been worried that the ordinance would allow men to use women’s public restrooms, the AP reported.

Democratic Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is gay, had called the restroom issue a scare tactic by opponents.

Voters in Ohio knocked out the proposal to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, with roughly 65 percent opposed to the measure.

Two Michigan Tea Party leaders, Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, lost their bids to win back their seats. The two were forced from office over an affair and their subsequent cover-up scheme.

An emotional Gamrat told reporters that regardless of what voters heard or believed, "I worked really hard for them when I was there" in Lansing. "It was a tremendous honor to serve. ... My infidelity was wrong, but I don't think it warranted and merited the maligning of my character that I had on me and my family day after day in the news."

Voters in San Francisco voted against regulating and putting limits on short-term Airbnb rentals, the AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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