Politics

Democrats Say ‘Trump-Mania’ Contributed To Kentucky Gubernatorial Loss

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
Font Size:

Democrats are arguing “Trump-mania” led to their candidate’s loss in Kentucky’s Tuesday gubernatorial contest.

Republican businessman Matt Bevin shocked observers by handily defeating Democratic attorney general Jack Conway in the state’s race for governor 53 percent to 44 percent. Polling, ahead of Tuesday’s vote, indicated the race was close with Conway ahead.

In a statement reacting to Conway’s loss, Democratic Governors Association executive director Elisabeth Pearson said: “Attorney General Jack Conway ran a strong campaign focused on the issues that matter to Kentuckians: good schools, good-paying jobs and economic opportunity.”

“Unfortunately,” Pearson added, “he ran into the unexpected headwinds of Trump-mania, losing to an outsider candidate in the year of the outsider.”

Bevin, never before elected to office, ran as a conservative outsider. His victory is a  big comeback from his 2014 Republican primary challenge to Senate Majority Leader [crscore]Mitch McConnell[/crscore], who beat him by nearly 25 points in the race.

Follow Alex on Twitter