Democrat Andy Beshear wins in Kentucky governor vote on Tuesday over a Republican governor backed by President Donald Trump and seized control of the state legislature in Virginia.
After a tight race in the conservative-leaning state, this victory of Democrats is seen as a blow to President Donald Trump. Democrats seized full control of the legislature in Virginia for the first time in over 20 years.
Beshear declared himself the winner in Kentucky after securing 49.2% of the vote to Bevin’s 48.8%, telling voters that his performance was a message that elections were still about “right versus wrong” instead of right versus left. As of late Tuesday night, Beshear led Bevin by a margin of more than 5,000 votes.
But Bevin, who took the stage at the Republican party across town, called it a “close, close race” and said he wasn’t conceding “by any stretch”.
“We want the process to be followed, and there is a process,” he said.
Bevin, who was elected in 2015, had portrayed the election as a referendum on Trump, who stumped for the governor at a rally in Kentucky on Monday night and called Beshear “too liberal, too extreme and too dangerous”.
At the rally, Trump told the crowd: “If you lose, it sends a really bad message … you can’t let that happen to me.”
In a speech to thousands of supporters, Mr. Trump said a loss for Mr. Bevin would be characterized as “the greatest defeat in the history of the world” by his critics.
Mr. Beshear, a 41-year-old attorney general whose father was a former governor of the state, said: “We will be ready for that first day in the office and I look forward to it.”
However, Republicans managed to hold onto power in the Mississippi governor vote, following a closely fought race. The results are being viewed as a gauge of the political mood ahead of next year’s presidential election.
>Juthy Saha
Democrats Claim Victory in Virginia and Kentucky Elections
LOUISVILLE, KY - NOVEMBER 05: Apparent Gov.-elect Andy Beshear celebrates with supporters after voting results showed the Democrat holding a slim lead over Republican Gov. Matt Bevin at C2 Event Venue on November 5, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Bevin, who enjoyed strong support from President Donald Trump, did not concede after results showed Beshear leading 49.2 percent to 48.8 percent, a difference of less than 6,000 votes, with 100 percent of precincts reporting. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)