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Is Matt Bevin Trying to Lose the Governor’s Race?

September 30, 2015 at 10:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

Sam Youngman: “The Republican candidate’s sometimes bizarre behavior, oscillations on major policy issues and lack of advertising have all combined to make Bevin one of Democrat Jack Conway’s top allies with a month to go until Election Day.”

“That might help explain Bevin’s ill-advised and jaw-dropping decision to show up at Kentucky Democratic Party headquarters on Friday to complain to the receptionist about the sign KDP has outside its building questioning Bevin’s trustworthiness. It was Bevin’s second trip to the headquarters to complain about the sign.”

“Conway has certainly not set the world on fire with his campaign, vague policy proposals or charm. And he has taken much criticism for his campaign strategy of focusing on fundraising instead of traditional campaign rallies. But Bevin seems to be working very hard to make Conway’s campaign strategists look like geniuses.”

Are Republicans Giving Up in Kentucky?

September 28, 2015 at 3:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 59 Comments

The Republican Governor’s Association has stopped running television ads for Matt Bevin (R) in Kentucky with a little more than a month to go until Election Day, the AP reports.

“The association has spent $3 million on six ads for Bevin, mostly attacking his Democratic opponent, Jack Conway, for supporting the policies of Democratic President Barack Obama… The move is a blow for Bevin, who has aired just one TV ad after spending more than $1 million of his own money to win a four-way Republican primary in May.”

Bevin Won’t Raise Money

September 14, 2015 at 12:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin (R), who is self-financing his campaign, “appears to be taking a pass on raising money for himself, saying in reply to the question about hiring that Kentucky hasn’t had a chance to elect ‘someone who is unencumbered by anybody and anything’ since Democrat John Y. Brown Jr. was elected in 1979,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

Said Bevin: “It is equally unnerving to Republicans and Democrats.”

Bevin Moves to Make Gay Marriage Key Issue of Race

September 2, 2015 at 12:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 91 Comments

Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin (R) said that he fully supports County Clerk Kim Davis’ right to refuse gay couples seeking marriage licenses, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

Said Bevin: “I absolutely support her willingness to stand on her First Amendment rights. Without any question I support her.”

“The strong defense of Davis’ actions underscores how the GOP nominee hopes to make the fight over gay marriage a centerpiece of the 2015 governor’s race, which polling shows is a tight race between him and Democratic nominee Jack Conway.”

Bevin Declines to Endorse Paul

August 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 17 Comments

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) endorsed Matt Bevin (R) for Kentucky governor, but when asked later if he was backing Paul in his bid for the presidency, Bevin refused to say, the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

Said Bevin: “At this point, I’m running for governor and that’s what my focus is on. I am delighted that Rand is running, I have made very clear that I’m a supporter of that idea. I’m running for governor, I have made no endorsement whatsoever.”

McConnell Will Hold Fundraiser for Former Rival

July 21, 2015 at 12:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 11 Comments

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Matt Bevin (R) “are trying to put last year’s ugly Senate primary behind them,” Politico reports.

“McConnell, the Senate majority leader, will hold a fundraiser for Bevin, the GOP nominee in this November’s Kentucky gubernatorial race.”

Comer Finally Concedes Nomination to Bevin

May 29, 2015 at 10:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 4 Comments

James Comer (R) conceded the Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nomination to Matt Bevin, solidifying the Bevin-Jack Conway (D) match up to replace outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear (D), the Lexington Herald Leader reports.

Bevin Faces Divided Party in Kentucky

May 22, 2015 at 8:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Presumptive Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nominee Matt Bevin (R) is facing a divided party as he prepares for the fall election, the Lexington Herald Leader reports.

“Bevin has clearly tried to begin winning over some of the Republican establishment… But Bevin, as he has since last November, blamed the media for creating a perception that he didn’t support U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after losing to him in the primary last year. Although Bevin repeatedly declined to publicly endorse McConnell, he argued that he did work hard for the Republican ticket last fall.”

Cook Political Report: “Democrats – and specifically state Attorney General Jack Conway – were the biggest winners on primary night. Conway faced just token opposition for Democratic nomination for this open seat. The race for the Republicans nomination was far more interesting and ultimately beneficial to Democrats.”

Bevin’s Improbable Comeback

May 11, 2015 at 6:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 3 Comments

Matt Bevin (R), “the upstart Kentucky Republican who famously locked horns with Mitch McConnell in a no-holds-barred 2014 Senate primary, is now running for governor. At first, his hopes for victory appeared all but impossible,” National Journal reports.

“But now, days before the May 19 primary, a dramatic turn of events—largely surrounding dueling allegations of domestic violence and accessory to slander between Bevin’s two primary rivals—have left the tea-party-aligned Bevin with a chance at victory.”

Quote of the Day

February 20, 2015 at 4:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 12 Comments

“At some point you have to start asking whether Matt Bevin should be medicated. The guy has no grasp on reality whatsoever and his delusions of grandeur are simply breathtaking.”

— GOP strategist Josh Holmes, quoted by the Lexington Herald Leader, on Matt Bevin’s (R) claim he would have won last year’s Senate election “more handily” than Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Bevin Announces Bid for Kentucky Governor

January 27, 2015 at 2:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 7 Comments

Matt Bevin (R), who lost a Republican Senate primary loss to Mitch McConnell (R), “launched another statewide race Tuesday, this time for Kentucky governor,” National Journal reports.

“Bevin’s unexpected and late entry—he officially joined the race less than two hours before the state’s 4 p.m. deadline—is a boon for the party’s most conservative elements, as it will boost their voice in a crowded campaign. But for the party as a whole, it complicates an already difficult task: preventing the competitive primary from crippling their candidate before the general election begins.”