Posted on 11/06/2019 7:50:00 AM PST by SeekAndFind
President Trump tried. And he warned Kentuckians at a huge rally a few days ago that the gubernatorial race was going to be viewed by all as a referendum on him.
So the apparent loss of Republican Gov. Matt Bevin to Democrat Andy Beshear last night, is a stinger. A Trump endorsement is usually a surefire means of winning the election and it has been up until now for nearly all candidates in special elections, which is why so many candidates want them. Once Trump endorses, Republicans almost always win.
But apparently, not even a Trump endorsement was enough for Bevin, who had some popularity problems. The punditocracy of course is calling curtains for Trump. The Washington Post is calling it "embarrassing." But there's plenty of reason to be dubious.
Bevin seems to have lost for three reasons:
One as the Washington Post notes, he only got into office four years ago by a thin 85,000-vote margin. So he was on thin ice all through his term and didn't work to increase his support.
Two, he had a third party challenge. Sen. Rand Paul is a popular Senator in Kentucky and on that ground alone, his libertarian allies managed to run a third-party candidate that won 2% of the vote. Had they not, Bevin might have pulled through.
Three, and this seems to have been the big one: Bevin wasn't popular. A poll that ran in April had him ranked as the least popular governor in all 50 states. According to the WaPo, he had a brash abrasive personality that tended to annoy people.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Conservatives often have trouble finding and developing issues at the state and local level. Moreover, in most counties and cities, units of government are the largest employers. Republican anti-tax and anti-government sentiments commonly have only a qualified appeal for such voters and their families.
the GOP in suburban philly is in encrusted wih corruption, and have spent too much.Many Dems ran on being fiscaly responsable on the county level. That’s the way they won the philly suburbs.
The GOP does not do a great d job of recruiting Candidates.
That’s great Kentucky! Now you can enjoy abortion without limits.
In practice, it takes a bi-level approach to such issues: sober-minded, analytical comparisons that show taxes and spending are too high; and attention-grabbing specific examples of excesses. Doing so takes a policy wonk, a CPA, and a detective — usually by way of several people.
A real fiscally Conservative local GOP would help.
The legislature should have enough votes to redistrict however they want, it is deep red.
I think the R’s could take Jr. out in four years with their new AG as the R candidate. Cameron needs to fire everyone in the AG office down to the janitor and put his foot up Jrs. ass 24/7/52 and investigate Daddy’s looting of the teachers retirement pension. Bevin just rubbed people the wrong way and still came within a hair of winning a second term.
Unfortunately, local political organization is a volunteer activity that rarely draws talent and sustained effort. The Democratic party has the comparitive advantage though of union backing, which is supported by union dues.
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