Yesterday’s off-year election produced a number of noteworthy results, none greater than Republican Matt Bevin’s upset victory in the Kentucky governor’s race. Bevin ran as a cautious outsider conservative,
warts and all. Public polls gave his opponent, Democrat Jack Conway, a modest but steady lead throughout the race, averaging Conway’s three-point advantage in a three-way competition. Their loss was double digits. Bevin won easily:
Bevin wins by 8.7%, taking all districts into account. It wasn’t even close #KYGOV
— Kos Daily Elections (@DKElections) November 4, 2015
Bevin, reinforced by A huge investment from national Republicans and the support of his former enemy Mitch McConnellnationalized the race, tying Conway to President Obama at every opportunity – on coal, next school choiceON social issuesespecially on Obamacare. Democrats point to Kentucky as a model for the bill’s success, touting a functioning exchange, higher insurance rates and the clear support of the state’s fixed-term governor. Here timeless advice he gave to his party as Kentuckians went to the polls yesterday:
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says Democrats will run Obamacare in 2016 and “brush Republicans into the dust.”
https://t.co/hMV7QXCFpk
— Taegan Goddard (@politicalwire) November 3, 2015
Oops. Matt Bevin emerged as an unwavering opponent of the promise-breaking, cost-inflating law and blasted Beshear’s would-be successor to pieces. Democrats
reacted attributing his loss to “unexpected headwinds caused by Trump mania,” which is a humorous bit trolling. The anti-Obama trend was also hijacked by Democrats.rising star“seen by many as a viable challenger to Senator Rand Paul. OopsAgain. Bevin becomes Kentucky’s second Republican governor in about forty years. His lieutenant governor, Jenean Hampton, is the first non-white politician ever elected to the statewide office. Black woman. Elected by Republicans. Thanks to Bevin’s victory, Republicans are here now set to control 32 governorships compared to 17 for Democrats (Alaska’s independent governor opposed Republicans but was endorsed by Sarah Palin). Barack Obama turned out to be quite adept at getting elected, but he acted like… one-man wrecking ball to the electoral results of his party at all levels of government:
Under Obama, Democrats lost more than 900 seats in the state legislature, 12 governorships, 69 seats in the House of Representatives and 13 seats in the Senate. It’s some legacy.
— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) November 4, 2015
Some additional compelling facts from around the country:
VirginiaAs Matt wrote last night, Republicans retained a clear majority in the House of Delegates and defended their slim lead in the state Senate. Clinton ally Gov. Terry McAuliffe and interest groups have poured prestige and millions of dollars into several key races in an attempt to retake the upper house, focusing mainly on Medicaid expansion and Obamacare gun control. They lost.
Ohio: Voters overwhelmingly rejected the vote legalized marijuana for medical and recreational operate. Apparently the issue has yet to be resolved on a nationwide scale, although even some legalization advocates have argued that Ohio’s proposed regime would establish an unfair system that benefits privileged “cartels.”
New Jersey: : They overtook the Republicans he lost several seats in the General Assembly, increasing the Democratic majority in the lower house to his majority highest level in 36 years – probably not the headline Chris Christie’s presidential campaign wanted to see.
Maine: Portland voters rejected a minimum wage raise, and Republicans rejected it looks like he won two legislative seats in special elections.
Pennsylvania: Democrats won a clear majority in a state Supreme Court case that will have major implications for many issues in the coming years, including redistricting.
