His personality grated on people a lot more than his conservative politics.
They just couldn’t stand him. They love the GOP in KY but NOT Bevin.
FROM HOTAIR:
When I turned on CNN this morning, the crew there was already doing their best to make Trump’s prediction come true and paint this as a defeat for the President, and since he had personally gone down to the Bluegrass State to try to drag Bevin over the finish line I suppose that’s technically true. But some fairly recent polls showed Bevin trailing Beshear by more than a dozen points. Assuming he loses, it will be by roughly one or two points, so it appears that Trump did indeed rally the vote for him and deliver a better than anticipated turnout.
As of last month, Morning Consult still had Trump’s approval rating in Kentucky at plus 15. Also, Kentucky voters have continued to hand control of both houses in the legislature to the GOP for the past three years on top of previously electing Bevin, so they clearly don’t have an issue with voting for Republicans.
The fact is that Bevin just wasn’t a popular governor in his home state. The press is jumping all over themselves today to remind everyone that Bevin was ranked as the second least popular governor in the country. (Behind only the scandal-plagued Democrat Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island.)
Bevin didn’t do himself any favors with some of the political battles he picked to fight while in office. We’re talking about a state where a Republican should easily be able to stay afloat, but Matt Bevin seemed to find a way to get under people’s skin. With all that in mind, it’s probably a miracle that he came this close to reelection and one could credibly argue that he only pulled within ten thousand votes because Trump showed up to throw him a lifeline.
Either way, we may have to wait for a recount if Bevin decides to request one. (He can, but he’ll have to pay for it out of his own campaign funds if he does.) But finding ten thousand votes won’t be any small feat.
The country is split roughly 50/50 and is moving to the left for too many reasons, immigrants voting, millenials wanting socialism etc
For a red state like KY to vote democrat boggles my mind.
I do not think Pres. Trump has the reelection in the bag as many think ala HC 2016.
The KY Governors race came down to Jefferson County. Bevins lost it by 100,000+ votes. The most McConnell ever lost the county by is 40,000. Bevins actions as Governor against the teachers allied all teachers against him. Otherwise, Bevisn performed as a R would be expected to in a statewide race in KY.
The article does not contain the phrase “mighty Trump endorsement,” either in the title or in the text. How did it end up in quotes in your title?
So in standard Fake News Fiction let fixate on the fraudulent spin about Trump being the cause an unpopular gov losing (despite Trump's rally pulling him from 15% down in the polls into 4100 votes of wining). Every other GOP state wide candidate got 100,000 more votes then Bevin. KY is a non story for the Dems.
The real story is the blue states, like VA, got bluer and the red states like MS and KY got redder. The political positions on both sides are hardening quickly.
A good black conservative, Cameron, won the atty gen slot here in KY.
Hopefully, he can keep that soon to be dem gov in check.
Message from Kentucky: People like their free-shit from the Government, and particular, people in government like their free-shit from the taxpayers. if you oppose them, they will destroy you.
I think this is a cop-out. One would think that if he had a record to run on then the personality wouldn't have beaten him. Otherwise Trump is in trouble.
IMO, the Beshear campaign ad that brought up irregularities regarding Bevin’s use of State aircraft during the campaign was a coffin nail. Especially Bevin’s quote of (paraphased) “It’s no one’s business” when asked about it.
President Trump helped Republicans win 5 out of 6 statewide offices. To some people, the glass is always 1/6th empty.
The GOP does not do a great d job of recruiting Candidates.
That’s great Kentucky! Now you can enjoy abortion without limits.