Bevin and Beshear ready to face Kentucky

Kentucky governor Matt Bevin will face Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear in next November's general election, after the two men won competitive primaries on Tuesday.

Beshear, the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear, triumphed over two top Democratic nominees: House of Representatives Minority President Rocky Adkins and the former auditor of the House of Commons. State, Adam Edelen. When the Associated Press called the race, Beshear had 38% of the vote, with 32% for Adkins and 28% for Edelen.

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Adkins – a conservative Democrat who opposes the right to abortion – has accumulated large margins in the rural counties of eastern Kentucky, his political base. But he had little support in the democratically prone cities of Louisville and Lexington, and Beshear was also stronger in the rural counties of western Kentucky.

Beshear was the favorite for most primaries, but he found himself fighting the attacks of a pro-Edelen super PAC against his attorney general's assignment and had to monitor his left and right flanks on topics such as contraception.

At the same time, on the Republican side, Bevin beat the state representative, Robert Goforth, in a primary race closer than expected, winning with 52% of the vote. Bevin was the weakest in the eastern part of the state. Goforth, which got 39% of the votes in total, represents part of this representation at the State House.

Tuesday's primaries will provide insight into what might be a competitive race in the fall. Despite Kentucky's Republican thinness, polls show Bevin's approval rating is low, which could hurt his bid for re-election.

Noam Lee, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said the main findings of the GOP proved that Bevin was "damaged and deeply unpopular. Amelia Chassé Alcivar, spokesperson for the Republican Governors Association, described Beshear as "a liberal politician and insider who thinks he is entitled to the highest office of the state because of his family name."

The Kentucky governor's race is one of three 2019 governor elections. Democratic governor John Bel Edwards is facing a tough reelection campaign in Louisiana, while both parties will hold Mississippi primaries in August for organize a race for open governance of this state.