Commonwealth Policy Center

After learning that a newspaper mistakenly printed his obituary, Mark Twain famously quipped: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Such is the case for those who see the election of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Beshear as a bellwether for how Kentucky may vote in the 2020 presidential race. After all, Beshear won by a razor-thin margin of 43 votes per county.  Republicans won five of six constitutional offices on the ballot. And most won by huge margins. Incumbent Republican Treasure Allison Ball won by 21 percent. Incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles won by 20 percent. Incumbent Auditor Mike Harmon and Attorney General candidate Daniel Cameron both won by 16 percent. Michael Adams defeated former Miss America by four points. Kentucky is clearly trending Republican despite their loss of the governorship.