Wins In Kentucky, Virginia Cap Off Strong Night For Democrats In Off-Year Elections

Updated at 11:35 p.m. ET

Democrats had a strong Election Night on Tuesday, claiming victory in the race for governor in Kentucky and taking back full control of the Virginia legislature for the first time in nearly a quarter century.

With all precincts reporting in Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear is leading Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin by 5,333 votes. While the Associated Press says the race is too close call, Beshear declared victory but Bevin hinted he would request a recount or recanvass.

If Beshear's margin holds, it's a blow to President Trump, who rallied in the state for Bevin on the eve of the election.

Beshear, the Kentucky attorney general, was able to drive up turnout in the commonwealth's urban and suburban centers combined with stronger than expected numbers in some rural areas. His lead shows that voters are still willing to make a differentiation between state and federal races, even in a hyper partisan political environment.

"Our elections don't have to be about right versus left. They are still be about right versus wrong," Beshear said in his victory speech.

But Bevin's position also suggested there may be limits to Trump's typically uncanny ability to turn out his base for a specific candidate, especially as he now faces an impeachment inquiry in Congress. Kentucky is a GOP stronghold at the federal level, having gone for Trump by 30 points in 2016, but has a long history of electing Democratic lawmakers. When he won in 2015, Bevin was just the third Republican to be elected governor since World War II.

However, Kentucky Republicans won all of the state's other constitutional offices on Tuesday, further evidence that this contest was more of a referendum on Bevin than anything.

Bevin had made plenty of enemies while doing little to make friends. His approval ratings put him as one of the most unpopular governors in the country, and he only narrowly won his primary over a little-known opponent. He picked fights with and offended Kentucky teachers over pension reform, resulting in a major backlash, and also didn't build great relationships with even GOP state legislators.

Bevin heavily nationalized the race to try to win, touting himself as stridently anti-abortion and tough on illegal immigrants, with his ads showing menacing-looking gang members poring over U.S. borders. He heavily leaned into his support for Trump and opposition to impeachment.

Beshear's father, Steve Beshear, was a popular Democratic governor who preceded Bevin and had expanded Medicaid in Kentucky under the Affordable Care Act, which Bevin tried to roll back by implementing work requirements.

Overall, Beshear campaigned that he would restore "respect" and "Kentucky values" to the governor's office along with protecting Medicaid expansion and education funding, making the race a referendum on state and local issues, instead of the nationalized vote Bevin wanted.

In Virginia, Democrats' victories showed that the commonwealth is moving away from its swing state status and more firmly into the blue column. The legislative wins give Democrats unified control, as they now hold the governorship along with the Virginia General Assembly.

Those new Democratic majorities could lead to greater gun control measures, further expansions to Medicaid and a shot at becoming the final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. New court-ordered lines redrawn earlier this year in the House helped Democrats flip the chamber, and now that they're in control, they can help firm up congressional and legislative lines in the future.

The battle for control of the statehouse in Virginia attracted big money — some individual races have raised more than $2 million apiece – and big names — just last weekend Vice President Pence and former Vice President Joe Biden held events in the state for their respective parties.

Democrats were able to pull off the victory, despite scandals among the three top statewide officials in their party. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring both admitted earlier this year to wearing blackface when they were younger, and two women have accused Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault, which he denies.

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