Good, good!!! Very glad to see this WaPo headline, thank you KY-ERA for going out to vote to contribute to this embarrassment of Trump:
Kentucky outcome embarrasses Trump and worries many Republicans ahead of 2020
November 6, 2019
Democrats' claim of victory Tuesday in Kentucky's gubernatorial race, as well as the Democratic takeover of the Virginia state legislature, left Republicans stumbling and increasingly uncertain about their own political fates next year tied to an embattled and unpopular president.
Many allies of President Trump rushed to explain away the poor performance of incumbent Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) as an anomaly, while other GOP veterans expressed alarm about the party's failure in a state where Trump won by nearly 30 percentage points in 2016 — and where he just campaigned this week.
Bevin's attempt to nationalize his cause by stoking conservative grievances about the impeachment process was not enough to overcome his problems nor was Trump's raucous rally for the governor on Monday — raising questions about Trump's political strength as he faces a barrage of challenges and a difficult path to reelection.
The outcome — with Democrat Andy Beshear claiming victory with a lead of several thousand votes and Bevin refusing to concede — underscored how Republicans are struggling to navigate choppy political waters as the 2020 campaign now begins in earnest. Trump continues to dominate the party, but many lawmakers are uneasy about their ability to defend his conduct and hold on to suburban support.
Few Republicans, however, are willing to even lightly criticize Trump since they widely believe they will need his voters' backing and enthusiasm in order to survive next year.
Still, the Kentucky defeat has sparked concern among the party's donors and many longtime GOP leaders who are worried that the nonstop twists of the House impeachment inquiry and Trump's growing fury are making it increasingly difficult for Republicans to make a clear and compelling case to voters.
"It was a rough night," said Scott Reed, the chief political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "The Republican Party is lacking message discipline, and that needs to be addressed. There is a lot of positive news around President Trump's governing on the economy, on regulations and judges, and it seems to be overwhelmed by the drama."
"It's a definite shot across the bow, even though Republicans picked up the state attorney general position in Kentucky," said former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, referring to Republican Daniel Cameron, who became the first African American to ever win that office. "But losing the governorship is a smack at both Mitch McConnell and the president, sending up a cautionary note."
Steele added, "Just because Trump shows up doesn't mean an automatic win anymore."
Some Republicans also viewed Beshear's appeals to moderation as a sign that Republicans cannot take red-state races for granted.
Instead of drifting to the left, the son of former governor Steve Beshear railed against Bevin's divisive style and his attempts to slow the expansion of Medicaid under former president Barack Obama's health-care law.
"Republicans look at that and say, 'Anything could be competitive if the Democrats are going to be on their games like they were with Beshear here,' " said former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum (R). "You're seeing Democrats building on what they did in 2018, running more moderate candidates and making sure those candidates are financed."
In a statement, Democratic Governors Association Chair Gina Raimondo congratulated Andy Beshear.
"Governor-Elect Andy Beshear will restore decency to Frankfort and has spent his career lifting up every single Kentuckian," she said. "Tonight's victory is a major pickup for Democrats and a massive rejection of Bevin's record of stoking chaos, undermining public education, and trying to gut health care coverage."
