When Ohioans soundly turned back an assault on worker’s rights, defeating Issue 2 and SB 5 with 61% of the vote, they did it with a broad coalition that points to a total reversal of the voting bloc that brought Governor John Kasich to power in 2010. It could have long-lasting implications for 2012 and beyond.

While Ohio was soundly rejecting Ohio’s anti-union SB5 it was passing, by 65.6 percent to 34.4 percent an amendment deliberately written so that voters would view voting for it as a way to reject of the individual mandate in “Obamacare.” The mandate remains extremely unpopular, even in an arguably liberal-leaning election.

Yesterday’s elections were a mixed bag for Democrats. There were positive results for liberals on three key ballot initiatives they cared most about. While the night was generally good for progressive policies at the ballot box, it was not as good a night for Democrats running for office.

Dayen gives his assessment of yesterday’s election results. Election Day 2011 is over, and the victories for Democrats – and more accurately, for liberal values – across the country largely shared a characteristic – they were successful defensive actions to stave off extremely draconian conservative objectives.

The latest poll from Ohio is that SB5, the anti-labor law that stripped worker rights passed by Ohio Republican Governor Kasich and the GOP legislature, will be repealed by voter initiative tomorrow. The poll shows a solid 59 percent opposed to the law and only 36 percent in favor of keeping it, despite tons of corporate and conservative money and ads.

Mitt Romney, recognizing that he stepped in it by refusing to endorse an anti-union ballot measure in Ohio while standing in the Republican Party HQ, where they were phone banking on that ballot measure, reversed course today, and desperately tried to associate himself with the initiative, which is doomed to go down to defeat in two weeks time.

Ohio’s anti-collective bargaining law, SB 5, passed by Ohio Republicans, is likely to be repealed by Ohio’s voters in next month’s election.

The Ohio campaign to defeat SB5, the anti-union bill, has really ramped up over the past couple weeks. And it turns out that when both sides get to make their arguments, the state of Ohio dislikes the stripping of collective bargaining rights and the right to strike, according to the latest polling.

In Chris Cillizza’s smug dismissal of liberal frustration, with the curt statement “liberals and progressives have nowhere else to go,” he overlooks the fact that liberals have plenty of places to go. More than ever, in fact. From a movement-building perspective, there are more opportunities than normal in an off year to really make a difference on progressive policy.

Labor is fired up for this fight. As with the recalls in Wisconsin there is going to be a lot of money and effort poured into defeating this bill at the ballot box. It should be a good indicator of which way the wind is blowing heading into 2012.