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Democrats Claim Victory Over Trump-Backed Kentucky Governor, Seize Virginia
Legislature

Reuters

   U.S. Democrats claimed an upset win in Kentucky on Tuesday over a
   Republican governor backed by President Donald Trump and seized control
   of the state legislature in Virginia, where anti-Trump sentiment in the
   suburbs remained a potent force.

   The outcomes of Tuesday's elections in four states, including
   Mississippi and New Jersey, could offer clues to how next year's
   presidential election could unfold, when Trump will aim for a second
   four-year term.

   In Kentucky, Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear, whose father,
   Steve, was the state's last Democratic governor, scored a narrow
   victory over Governor Matt Bevin despite an election-eve rally
   headlined by Trump.

   In a speech in Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday night, Trump - who won
   Kentucky by 30 percentage points in 2016 - told voters that they needed
   to re-elect Bevin, or else pundits would say the president "suffered
   the greatest defeat in the history of the world."

   The remarks reflected the extent to which Bevin, 52, sought to
   nationalize the campaign, emphasizing his support for Trump amid a
   Democratic-led impeachment inquiry of the Republican president in
   Congress.

   While the result was a significant setback for Trump, who remains
   relatively popular in Kentucky, it may have had more to do with Bevin's
   diminished standing in the state. Opinion polls showed Bevin may be the
   least popular governor in the country, after he waged high-profile
   fights with labor unions and teachers.

   Beshear's upset win could also bolster Democrats' slim hopes of ousting
   Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is on the ballot
   himself in the state next year.

   At a rally on Tuesday night, Bevin refused to concede, citing
   unspecified "irregularities," even as Beshear called on the governor to
   honor the results.

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