Big League Politics Although Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has refused to concede defeat, preliminary results show his Democratic opponent Andy Beshear beating him by a narrow margin in yesterday’s gubernatorial race.
The final count showed Bevin trailing by a mere 4,658 votes, or 0.3 percentage points. This is well under the 28,427 votes collected by the Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate John Hicks, who received 2 percent of the vote in the election.
While it may not be the case that Libertarian voters would preferred Bevin if Hicks were theoretically removed from the ballot, the Libertarian Party of Kentucky (LPK) is taking great pride in their role as anti-Republican spoiler. They are rubbing it in the face of Bevin voters, flaunting their role in handing the governorship over to a socialist liberal.
“In an ideal world, we elect Libertarian candidates and advance liberty. Failing that, we push mainstream candidates towards liberty to advance the cause,” the LPK wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday night.
“But if we can’t do those things, we are always happy to split the vote in a way that causes delicious tears. Tonight there are plenty of delicious tears from Bevin supporters,” they added.
The LPK criticized Bevin despite his limited government credentials and willingness to push back against big government entities like the state teachers’ union as governor. They cited Bevin’s unwillingness to cut taxes or support criminal justice reform, despite the fact that did both while in office.
“We began by making it easier for formerly incarcerated people to get back to work, passing a comprehensive felony expungement bill that allows certain former offenders, who have been crime-free for five years, to wipe their slates clean,” Bevin said in a Fox News op/ed talking about his success in implementing criminal justice reform.