From Slate: How Is This Guy Winning in Kentucky?
A Democratic governor seems like he’s about to get reelected in the very red state.
By DAVID FARIS
In two weeks, a Democrat stands a decent chance of being elected to a second term in the Republican stronghold of Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear, who squeaked in four years ago by just over 5,000 votes out of 1.4 million ballots cast, might beat the odds again in a state that Donald Trump carried by almost 26 points. Although nonpartisan polling of this race has been sparse, Beshear has led GOP state Attorney General Daniel Cameron in nine publicly released polls since June by an average of 7.8 points.
While you could dismiss his popularity as a quirk of his last name (his father was also a popular Democratic governor) or the way Kentucky’s veto-proof GOP majority in the state Legislature sets the legislative agenda, Beshear’s embrace of Democratic Party priorities and refusal to prop himself up with Joe Manchin–style triangulation makes him, if not a potential national figure for the party, at least a role model for how to hold the line in hostile territory.