WWTBAM Bored

Raw Story wrote:On Tuesday, Kentucky voters denied GOP governor Matt Bevin a second term, electing Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear in a furiously contested race that captured nationwide attention.

Beshear, the son of a popular former Democratic governor, spent a large part of his term as attorney general challenging Bevin’s policies, from state benefit cuts to abortion restrictions, setting up a fierce rivalry that came to a head in the gubernatorial race.

Bevin, the first Republican governor in Kentucky to preside over unified party control of the legislature, has had a controversial and bitter tenure in office, waging war against teacher pensions and picking fights with members of his own party. Polls consistently ranked him among the least popular governors in the United States, and some observers speculated the race could inform the state of play in next year’s Senate election, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is seeking re-election.

But while these numbers made the race close, Kentucky is an extremely conservative state, having backed President Donald Trump by nearly 30 points. To blunt his unpopularity, Bevin tied himself as closely as possible to the president, who held multiple campaign events to promote his re-election including a rally the night before the election.

The result is a massive defeat for Republicans — and a serious humiliation for Trump.

"Here's the story," Trump told thousands of supporters ahead of Tuesday's election. "If you win, they are going to make it like, ho hum. And if you lose, they are going to say Trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. You can't let that happen to me!"

earendel wrote:Not to put too much of a damper on the victory parade, but the election wasn't so much a triumph of the Democratic Party as it was a repudiation of a loathsome governor. Trump is still very popular in Kentucky and will probably win the state by 30-40%. Moreover, Republicans swept the other statewide races and still control both houses of the legislature, so anything that the new governor may propose will probably be DOA. Not only that, but as attorney-general, Beshear challenged Bevin repeatedly in the courts; the new attorney-general, a protégé of Mitch McConnell, will likely do the same. It may be my cynicism showing, but although the governor's race is a brief shining moment, it won't really matter a hill of beans in the end.

silverscreenselect wrote:I've got a question for Ear as our resident Kentucky expert. I've seen it reported that Bevin can contest the election and, if so, the KY legislature (dominated by Republicans), would determine the winner. This raises questions as to whether Bevin could claim some vague sort of voting irregularities and then have a partisan vote of the legislature return him to office. Is this a realistic scenario?

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/n ... 174103002/

silverscreenselect wrote:I've got a question for Ear as our resident Kentucky expert. I've seen it reported that Bevin can contest the election and, if so, the KY legislature (dominated by Republicans), would determine the winner. This raises questions as to whether Bevin could claim some vague sort of voting irregularities and then have a partisan vote of the legislature return him to office. Is this a realistic scenario?

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/n ... 174103002/

Bob Juch wrote:Democrats will control all three branches of government in Virginia.

Bob Juch wrote:For the first time in nearly 40 years, Democrats have taken control of Columbus, Indiana—the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence.

https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-col ... ium=Social

Appa23 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:For the first time in nearly 40 years, Democrats have taken control of Columbus, Indiana—the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence.

https://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-col ... ium=Social

Here's how Nebraskan I am -- the biggest shock to me is that city council is a partisan position. Around here, mayor, city council, even the state legislature is non-partisan. [Many of the county positions are partisan, however.)

earendel wrote:

silverscreenselect wrote:I've got a question for Ear as our resident Kentucky expert. I've seen it reported that Bevin can contest the election and, if so, the KY legislature (dominated by Republicans), would determine the winner. This raises questions as to whether Bevin could claim some vague sort of voting irregularities and then have a partisan vote of the legislature return him to office. Is this a realistic scenario?

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/n ... 174103002/

As the article says, Bevin would need to seek a re-canvass and possibly a recount. If he chooses to challenge the result he has to provide cause, such as ballot irregularities or campaign finance violations. So, yes, it's possible that Bevin might try this. But I don't think the re-canvass or recount would change things enough, and I doubt he could make any challenges stand up. That said, since Republicans do control both houses of the legislature, the election outcome could be reversed.

flockofseagulls104 wrote:Hey, but Sean Spicer is still dancing!!

Raw Story wrote:Polls consistently ranked him among the least popular governors in the United States.

jarnon wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:26 pm

Raw Story wrote:Polls consistently ranked him among the least popular governors in the United States.

This parting shot will decrease Bevin's popularity to below zero.

Bevin pardons a KY man convicted of beheading a woman and stuffing her in a barrel