Elections in state and local races hold warnings for both parties

Democrats lost more ground in legislatures and governors’ mansions, raising questions about the party’s strength when President Obama’s name isn’t at the top of the ballot.

While Democrats still have important demographic advantages in the states that often determine presidential elections, the party is struggling in power centers outside Washington that influence policy and steer congressional redistricting.

The GOP is casting its victory in the Kentucky gubernatorial race as a blueprint for how Republicans can run successfully against Obama’s signature health care law.

For party leaders anxious about Donald Trump and Ben Carson’s lead in the GOP presidential primary, the win in Kentucky for Matt Bevin — a wealthy businessman who has never held political office — could be a sign that many voters are serious about electing outsider candidates.