But for another, the author wonders if this is an off-year fluke or a harbinger of a wave to come? Well, it would appear that while the conservatism of Matt Bevin proves it's capacity to win, Barack Obama'sAmericanSpectator: Matt Bevin, a well-spoken and uncompromising conservative businessman, challenged Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Kentucky 2014 Republican primary.
He didn’t win. He didn’t actually come close, losing an ignominious 61-39 race to the GOP’s most powerful senator. Bevin, a down-the-line conservative of the Tea Party variety, engendered all the vitriol the Republican establishment could summon; he was the poster child for the “destructive” insurgent candidate.
Interestingly, after Bevin was beaten by McConnell, he tried again — this time for governor of Kentucky. And he won in the primary.
Bevin was, of course, a figure of fun among the smart set — such a conservative rube, with his curious stories about the Constitution and 19th-century theories of governance. They laughed at the idea he could win against the modern sophisticate Jack Conway, who has had an astonishing record of “failing up” as a candidate despite losing a congressional race to Anne Northrup in 2002, a Senate race to Rand Paul in 2010, and Bevin in this year’s gubernatorial race.
The polls suggested a Bevin victory was, in the immortal words of Dr. John, unpossible. The Real Clear Politics average of polls rolling into Election Day had the modern sophisticate Conway leading the primordial savage Bevin by three points, 44.3-41.3. Surprising, then, that the primordial savage Bevin should have engineered an Election Night ambuscade of the modern sophisticate Conway by a 52-44 count...
What to make of this, on an evening in which San Francisco’s atrocious sheriff Ross Mirkarimi of Kate Steinle murder fame was turned out of office, Virginia’s noxious Democrat governor Terry McAuliffe failed, despite millions of dollars of Mike Bloomberg’s money, to flip his state’s senate, and Houston voters gave the proverbial Bronx cheer to the notion of allowing boys in dresses to use women’s bathrooms in local high schools?
For one thing, Republicans are underpolling — and perhaps by significant numbers.
RedState: Kentucky was a shining example for the Democrats of a place where moderate Democrats could hold their own and work to implement Barack Obama’s agenda. That came crashing down last night. Bevin has pledged to end Obamacare in the state. He also championed religious liberty against his liberal Democrat opponent. He has fought hard in coal territories and the GOP carpet bombed coal areas of Kentucky with attacks on the Obama Administration’s environmental policies.This is a sting that quite honestly both sides of the aisle need to experience, in our states and on the national stage, particularly among the leadership...
What’s more, Bevin was able to consolidate the support of the GOP in Kentucky and win when so many counted him out. Most national pundits wrote him off, instead choosing to believe Democratic spin. National Republicans, initially inclined to walk away from the man who challenged Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 54%, were impressed with Bevin’s willingness to build bridges.
Matt Bevin won in Kentucky. He won bigger than anyone expected. He owns this win. But it is again worth noting that nationally Democrats keep losing with Barack Obama as President. The public keeps rejecting the President’s party. They did it last night in Kentucky.
It’s only a matter of time before Democrats blame their losses on climate change in Syria.
"As the Democrats lose, Republicans win, and won BIG last night. The Left's agenda has been blown to smithereens once again. And yet, the Republicans in Washington, at least the leadership of the House and Senate, seem still more inclined to wanna do business with Obama, than represent those who REJECTED Obama and liberalism and the Democrat Party last night."
The time for incumbency and establishment must wane. The nation thirsts for a return to common sense and responsibility. That's what many Americans hope these wins suggest. And it's high time for the opposition party to follow through.
Related links: HOLY CRAP! Matt Bevin Is The New Governor Of Kentucky!
Seven Questions About Matt Bevin’s Win In Kentucky
‘Historic night’: GOP makes record gains at state level, on top of Senate wins
Conservatives Have A Big Night In Local And State Elections
ADDENDUM: Levin reminds us that our strength is in the States!
On Wednesday’s Mark Levin Show: The strength of the Republican party isn’t Reince Priebus, the RNC, Mitch McConnell, or John Boehner; it’s us at the local level. Conservatives are winning election after election at the state level during President Obama’s two terms, but the problem is the federal government trumps everything and anything it wants to at the state and local level. State legislatures and governorships are going Republican in ways we’ve never seen in modern American history. Our strength is at the state level and we need to tap into it in order to restore our republic and put the federal government back in the Constitutional box. Mark speaks with Kentucky Governor-elect Matt Bevin to discuss the Conservative surge in state elections.
Related links: From coast to coast, conservatives score huge victories in off-year elections
The 2015 election tightened the Republican stranglehold on state government
Kentucky’s New GOP Lt. Gov. Is Black Tea-Party Activist
