Trumpism may define the Republican Party. But it definitely doesn’t define election results—even in supposedly red states.

Just ask Kentucky Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron.

  • Billiam@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Yes, it’s definitely a good thing that Beshear won. But just as the 2019 election, every other state office was won by a Republican, with margins much higher than Beshear’s win. On top of that, the state legislature has a GOP supermajority.

    Kentucky should not be used as a bellwether for the country. Andy Beshear might be popular here, but anything attached to (D) still isn’t.

    • ashok36@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You’re just describing the effects of gerrymandering. When dems win statewide races but lose the majority of district elections, it’s because of republican gerrymandering. We will never have real progress without some sort of anti gerrymandering movement.

      • Billiam@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        No, I’m talking about my fellow Kentuckians.

        There were six statewide races on the ballot. Beshear, the incumbent Democratic governor, won reelection. The other five positions, which were all held by Republicans since the last election in 2019, continued to be held by Republicans. Some of those Republicans won their statewide races by over 20 points. Furthermore, Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell continue to be reelected by not-even-close margins. That’s not gerrymandering, that’s the result of an extremely fascist and under-educated voting base. (However, it’s always possible the rest of the GOP grab-bag of tricks for stealing elections, such as voter suppression and disenfranchisement, may have had an effect. But I haven’t heard any claims made yet.)

        Beshear has always been popular here, despite even the GOP’s oppositional-defiance-disorder reactions to his attempts to limit COVID spread. But the media is trying to conflate his singular popularity with support for Democrats overall, and that’s just not happening in Kentucky. As I said, there is no reason to look at Kentucky as some sort of beacon for pro-Democratic (or at least anti-GOP) sentiment in the South.

        That said, of course I’d rather have Beshear as governor than any GOP.

        • katy ✨@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          8 months ago

          No, I’m talking about my fellow Kentuckians.

          i really like how everything i know about kentucky comes from travis and marisha from critical role :D