A gain of just one seat by Democrats could have flipped control, because Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam would serve as the tiebreaker.
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Of the six statewide offices in Kentucky, Republicans now hold one; Tuesday’s results mean they will hold four – and Mr. Bevin’s running mate, Jenean Hampton, will make history as Kentucky’s first African-American to hold statewide office.
Republican state Rep. Ryan Quarles easily defeated his Democratic rival in a hard-fought race to be Kentucky’s next agriculture commissioner.
A strong backer of traditional marriage himself, the Republican nominee fired at Democrat Conway for “not defending the Kentucky Constitution” through his refusal to voice support for its amendment proclaiming marriage as a union between man and woman. About 400,000 Kentuckians qualified under the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, according to the Huffington Post, and another 100,000 received health insurance through KYnect.
The two candidates also went back and forth over Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who received national attention this summer for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Although polls had shown Democrat Conway winning the gubernatorial race, it was Republican Bevin who won the only poll that mattered, 53 percent to 44 percent.
“This is the chance for a fresh start and we truly need it”, said Bevin in his victory speech with his large family of nine children and his parents looking on.
“I went Republican because I’m sick of what Democrats are doing – meaning Obama”, said Burgan, who disagrees with same-sex marriage and said the Democratic Party appears to be turning socialistic.
In addition to being a good night for Matt Bevin and the Kentucky Republican Party, last night was also a very good night for Rand Paul, whose Senate seat is up next year.
And while he’s open to the possibility of contributing to the Bevin administration in a few form or fashion, he says running for lower office holds little appeal for him. If approved, a ballot measure would let the state spend the money on schools and other projects.
At the top of the ticket is the contest for governor, with Republican Matt Bevin, Democrat Jack Conway and independent Drew Curtis contrasting sharply in the race. Despite the relatively low number of races, the results could be an important bellwether of sentiment ahead of next year’s presidential elections. And there are notable elections for mayor in Philadelphia, Houston and Salt Lake City.
Several city or state ballot initiatives were testing voter preferences on school funding, marijuana, and gay and lesbian rights. Opponents, including a coalition of conservative pastors, said the measure would have infringed on their religious beliefs.
In most states, the big elections will come next year. Critics say it would take budget decisions away from Mississippi lawmakers and give the courts too much power. If elected, Biskupski would be the city’s first openly gay mayor.
San Francisco voters were deciding a citizen-backed initiative to restrict the operations of Airbnb, the room-rental site, and a $310-million bond package for affordable housing. An existing state law requires excess tax revenue to be returned to taxpayers. Worked his way through college on an ROTC scholarship and rose to the rank of U.S. Army captain.
Republican businessman Matt Bevin was elected Kentucky’s next governor on Tuesday in a setback for Democrats who had controlled the governor’s mansion in every election but one since 1971. But the measure had a controversial stipulation that called for all of the marijuana to be grown by a specific group of farms, drawing complaints that it created an unfair and unnecessary monopoly to benefit the growers.
Meanwhile, neighboring Ohio voted against becoming the fifth state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
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Bevin, a multimillionaire investment manager who has spent $7 million trying to win elected office between this run and his failed 2014 Senate primary against now-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has completed a stunning political turnaround.
