Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks back to his office after speaking on the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Every election night, as soon as the results start coming in and winners are declared it is inevitable that politicians, pundits, commentators, poll watchers, and the like begin to inform us as to What It All Means™ going forward.
Tuesday night was no different in that regard as The Usual Suspects lined up to let us know that Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s loss (which has not been officially declared as of this writing) to Democrat Andy Beshear was a troublesome sign for President Trump’s reelection campaign, especially considering Trump campaigned for Bevin the day before the election.
While my Red State colleague Bonchie demolished that talking point earlier today along with others as they relate to what happened in Virginia, there’s another one out there that needs to be put out to pasture.
A number of liberals, some of them with large followings, took to the Twitter machine Tuesday night to take shots at Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. After all, if a Democrat can win the governor’s race in red Kentucky, that can’t be a good sign for Cocaine Mitch, right?
Actor George Takei was among those gloating:
A Democrat has defeated the GOP incumbent for governor in KY, even after Trump held a last minute rally there. Mitch McConnell and the White House must be having a tough night. Sending my thoughts and prayers.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 6, 2019
GOP spin doctors are trying to downplay their defeat in KY, a state Trump won by 30 points. “Governor Bevin was extremely unpopular, hated even, by voters,” they point out. Well, guess what? So is Mitch McConnell. Do the math. That turtle is getting flipped next year.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 6, 2019
Lydia Polgreen, who is the editor in chief for the liberal Huffington Post website, also chimed in after Cook Political report editor Dave Wasserman called the Kentucky governor’s race for Beshear:
https://twitter.com/lpolgreen/status/1191887461015838720
Other Democrats weighed in as well, believing Beshear’s win meant McConnell’s time in the Senate was just about up:
Trump won Kentucky by 30 points in 2016 and now a Democrat is about to become Governor. Buckle up, Mitch McConnell cause we're coming for you. 🔥
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) November 6, 2019
Trump won Kentucky by 30 points. Democrats just won the governor race there.
Not exactly a data point that will escape Mitch McConnell’s attention—and it comes on the worst day for Trump in the impeachment inquiry (so far).
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) November 6, 2019
"If I were Mitch McConnell tonight, I'd be a little concerned."
– Steve McMahon reacts to Democrat Andy Beshear's apparent victory in Kentucky's governor's race and what it could mean for Republicans heading into 2020.https://t.co/4dsDW3kQK5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 6, 2019
“#MoscowMitchNext” even trended on Twitter this morning.
While anything is possible come election time, and no statewide seat is really “safe”, what a lot of these gleeful wannabe political analysts were missing was a little insight into Kentucky’s gubernatorial history, as Politico’s Jake Sherman explained:
McConnell was elected 35 years ago, in 1984.
Kentucky has had a Democratic governor for 23 of those 35 years. https://t.co/PULGfLzQ0m
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) November 6, 2019
There was also the fact that Republicans trounced Democrats in other statewide elections Tuesday night:
Quick review of the margins in those races:#KYGov: D+0.5
KY AG: R+15.4
KY Ag Com: R+19.6
KY Auditor: R+14.6
KY SecState: R+4.4
KY Treasurer: R+21.4— Geoffrey Skelley (@geoffreyvs) November 6, 2019
Other seasoned political analysts also made similar points:
KY just elected the first Republican attorney general since 1948 and the first African-American attorney generals in the state’s history. This is one piece of evidence that if Bevin loses, it’s about Bevin and not some sign that there are bigger factors at work.
— Jennifer Duffy (@jennifereduffy) November 6, 2019
.@PoliticsReid reports Republicans won 12 of 13 statewide elections on ballot today (7 for 7 in Mississippi, 5 for 6 in Kentucky) @KYGOP @MSGOP
— David Avella (@david_avella) November 6, 2019
I'd caution against extrapolating too much from the statewide results. Bevin was uniquely unpopular, even within his own party. Barely won majority in primary. Lowest approval of any governor in America.
Rest of the GOP ticket doing fine in Kentucky.
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/SalenaZito/status/1191913172422270977
Could McConnell lose next year? Sure. But anyone who asserts that solely based on what happened last night between Bevin and Beshear is doing nothing more than showing their willful political ignorance.
Flashback –>> Heartbreak: George Takei Decides He Will Not Move to Kentucky to Challenge ‘Cocaine Mitch’ After All
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— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 16+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –
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