Kentucky Democrat Andy Beshear is out with a poll from Garin-Hart-Yang that gives him a 48-39 lead over GOP Gov. Matt Bevin in this November’s contest, while Libertarian John Hicks takes 6%. Last week, the Democratic Attorneys General Association released a survey from Clarity Campaign Labs that gave Beshear an identical 48-39 edge. We haven’t seen any other polls here all year other than a June survey from the unreliable Gravis Marketing.
While Kentucky is a reliably red state in federal elections, Bevin has been unpopular for most of his tenure even with members of his own party. The incumbent only won renomination in May by beating state Rep. Robert Goforth 52-39, and in true Matt Bevin fashion, he’s continuing to get into fights with his vanquished foe three months later. Both Bevin and Goforth attended the annual Kentucky State Fair Ham Breakfast on Thursday, and they had choice words for one another when WHAS reporter Chris Williams interviewed each of them.
Goforth first told Williams that he had not spoken to Bevin since the primary, and the governor “doesn't feel like he needs to” reach out. (The two were in the same room just a few feet apart from one another at the time.) Goforth added that he’d be supporting the GOP this year, he didn’t specifically commit to voting for Bevin. When Williams told Bevin about his old rival’s lack of direct support, the governor merely said that Goforth was “a name so easily forgotten.”
Goforth was not happy with Bevin’s response, and he told the Associated Press’ Bruce Schreiner, “He acted like he didn’t know who I was,” but, “There are over 101,000 people who knew who I was on May 21” when they voted for him over the governor. Goforth continued, “He has to have every one of them to win this election. Without them, I don’t think he can win. And with an attitude like that, how can he expect anyone to support him?”
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