The Executive Director of the Democratic Governors Association, Elisabeth Pearson, issued a statement Tuesday night crediting Donald Trump with creating the political conditions of ‘outsider’ popularity that allowed Republican Matt Bevin to win the Kentucky governor’s race over Democrat candidate Jack Conway.
Governor-elect Matt Bevin, image via Wikipedia.
“DGA STATEMENT ON KENTUCKY RESULTS
“November 3, 2015
“Today, DGA Executive Director Elisabeth Pearson issued the following statement on the Kentucky governor’s race:
““Attorney General Jack Conway ran a strong campaign focused on the issues that matter to Kentuckians: good schools, good-paying jobs and economic opportunity,” Pearson said. “Unfortunately, he ran into the unexpected headwinds of Trump-mania, losing to an outsider candidate in the year of the outsider. While Jack Conway came up just short tonight, his presence in this race strengthened the issues debate in Kentucky.””
The Lexington Herald-Leader headlined Bevin’s victory with this headline:
Matt Bevin shocks Jack Conway to become next governor of Kentucky
(Excerpt from Sam Youngman article)
“He never led until the end, and that’s when it counted.
“Republican Matt Bevin, who trailed in every public poll since winning the Republican primary in May by 83 votes, shocked Democrat Jack Conway Tuesday to become the next governor of Kentucky.
“With help from national Republicans he has repeatedly shunned, Bevin was able to overcome a campaign of missteps and self-inflicted wounds to become the first Republican governor since Ernie Fletcher and only the second since Louie Nunn left office in 1971.
“Bevin was able to defy pundits, political insiders and polling — including one released by his own campaign in October that showed him losing — and emerge a winner Tuesday night.”
A late report at InsiderLouisville.com had Bevin crushing Conway by eight points, 52 to 44, with 93 percent of the vote counted.
