Democrats just flipped a Kentucky state legislature seat in a district Trump won by 49 points

[ehrnst]

Source: VOX

Democrat Linda Belcher was just pronounced the winner of the special election in Kentucky’s House District 49, a seat that Donald Trump carried by a 72-23 margin in 2016 and that went 66-33 for Mitt Romney in 2012.



Read more: https://www.vox.com/2018/2/20/17034262/kentucky-special-election-linda-belcher

[marylandblue]

1. Wow!

[BigmanPigman]

2. YEAH...we need good news!

[Hortensis]

41. Here's a piece on the Linda Belcher KYans returned to office.

The article, "In Special Election Bullitt County Voters To Pick Between Polar Opposites," profiles both candidates, and if "polar opposites" could be an understatement it would be. The opponent is almost a caricature of today's worst conservatives politically and something of a hoot to read about.

Here's OUR gal:

Former legislator flies under radar



Linda Belcher, 69, is a lifelong Bullitt County resident who worked in the county school system for more than 30 years, mostly as a teacher and principal. She has two college degrees, and her legislative tenure was relatively low-key, reflecting her personality.

She served three terms as the state Representative for the 49th District after her husband, Larry Belcher, died in October 2008. He had held the seat for nearly six years prior to her election. Belcher is for abortion rights, and her campaign has championed issues including pension and tax reform, more forceful action on opioid addiction and better roads.

Her listed interests include gardening, reading, civic activities, crafts, flower arranging and playing with her dog.

As a legislator, Belcher largely stayed out of the news... Belcher said she’s most proud of legislative efforts that didn’t generate a lot of attention: reworking wastewater treatment plant regulations and requiring public schools districts to provide suicide prevention information to students.

She sponsored or co-sponsored dozens of other bills, legislative records show. Among them: requiring law enforcement agencies to provide certain data to the National Crime Information Center, and a bill that requires school districts to provide staff and students training on “being a good digital citizen.”

http://kycir.org/2018/02/12/in-special-election-bullitt-county-voters-face-very-different-choices/

[Hortensis]

42. The same article profiles their Repubican reject.

The loser tweeted out this photo of herself. That's hand's her husband's, copaster of The Hearts of Fire Church. Fun place. It sells liquor illegally and doesn't like paying bills.

[VMA131Marine]

3. So was this about increased Democratic turnout

Or did she flip independents and R's?

[bearsfootball516]

12. Looks like extremely low Republican turnout

Only 4,947 votes were cast, compared to over 18,000 in 2016. She won the vote 68-32, so that's only about 1,583 votes for the Republican.

[Roland99]

22. Not the densest populated area but it is also largely blue collar and more conservative

I always thought of that area as more redneck and poorer whites. A few nice neighborhoods (pioneer village)

[bearsfootball516]

25. The good note to take out of this is...

Even in a tiny local election, the trend of depressed Republican turnout is continuing since the Virginia election last December. Republicans are clearly unmotivated to vote.

[Roland99]

32. And that still helps us. Look at PA

Stopping gerrymandering is one of the top solutions to restoring democracy.

[Jedi Guy]

33. It does seem that way.

I wonder why that is, though? With the GOP pretty much running the show, you'd think Republicans would be riding high on the hog and eager to make more gains. Then again, "running the show" can charitably be called a dumpster fire. Maybe they're demoralized at what a disaster Trump's first year has been. Whatever the case, here's hoping they stay home for the midterms so the GOP takes a drubbing. I saw an article the other day on CNN that said their leadership is prepared for losses in November.

[not fooled]

37. They've finally been exposed

as larcenous tools of the billionaire class. Nowhere to run and hide, now. Even a lot of their most ardent blue collar voters have to see that the pukes controlling everything has just opened the floodgates for unbridled looting and greed. And that they care nothing for anyone who works for a living or isn't wealthy.

And that's aside from the dumpster fire in the WH.

The song and dance puke candidates have been selling their deluded working class followers might finally have lost its ability to fool them.

[Jedi Guy]

39. We can hope so.

It really is a shame. I know a few Republicans who are more like what the GOP was back in the days of Eisenhower. I think deep down they know that their party has morphed into something horrid. If they won't or can't join the good guys, I hope that the decent Republicans can break away from the crazies and Trumpites and go back to their roots.

It'd be nice if we could actually have honorable opponents who genuinely want good things for America, but who just differ in how to go about making it happen. I'd happily take loyal opposition over the wrecking ball the GOP has become. All it knows how to do is destroy.

[BigmanPigman]

45. They destroy things very, very well.

They wrote the book on it. Destroy the country, citizens bank accounts, their health, the if futures...

However, last night I saw the results of a survey monkey poll and 51% of Americans are pleased with the Tax Scam. I must be getting dementia since I could swear that at the time of the Tax vote the majority weren't supporting it and were aware it benefits the rich and screws everyone else, especially over the next 10 years.

[LeftInTX]

36. The Republican candidate was horrible

She was the the wife of Johnson, who molested kids in their home.
She was probably complicit.

Belcher held this seat for quite awhile, and was voted out in 2010 by Johnson. Now she has her seat back.

[Hortensis]

40. She's definitely a nasty piece of work.

Politically the same really bad cloth as her husband, but it's almost funny how awful they are. The church he copastered for 30 years, The Heart of Fire Church, didn't pay its bills, repeatedly sold illegal alcohol, no doubt many other unsavory details. In rural KY she was paid $60k a year for work as a paster's wife but evaded taxes and lied under oath to claim she was paid $10k and less. Lol.

Kentucky Center for investigative Reporting:

"Similarities between Rebecca Johnson and her late husband are not limited to their political agendas. She too has made misleading statements from time to time. And prior to announcing her candidacy, she too expressed right-wing, racist, homophobic views on Facebook, raising alarm about transgender women using women’s bathrooms, Muslims, Barack Obama and immigrants, among others."

"In recent years, she’s posted photos and memes making light of domestic violence and drug use, and endorsing secession. She also used profanity while disparaging refugees and pushed for legislation to prohibit Sharia law in Kentucky in a September 2015 post."

http://kycir.org/2018/02/12/in-special-election-bullitt-county-voters-face-very-different-choices/

Their article said voters would choose between "polar opposites."

NYMag:

"As for Johnson, she blamed her lost on voter fraud, though state officials said they have not received any complaints.

“I’ve heard from and about people all day long saying they went to vote for me at the correct polling place and were refused the opportunity to vote,” she said. “It’s like we’re in a third world country.”

Johnson has already filed to run in the May GOP primary. If she wins, she would face Belcher again in the general election.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/dem-takes-kentucky-seat-in-district-trump-won-by-49-points.html

Yuck.

[Yupster]

47. It was a weird case

Her opponent killed himself with molestation charges hanging over him.

His wife ran instead and lost.

Still good news though. A pretty big pattern is being established race by race.

[sheshe2]

4. Another one!

[Me.]

24. Not JUst Another One

Another woman

[sheshe2]

26. We will rock you!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Great news! And the giant blue wave is getting ready to show up...

and wash all those f***ing R's out to sea.

[OhNo-Really]

15. Visualize TSUNAMI....BLUE TSUNAMI

And this time we will loudly press for REAL CHANGE, none of that mamby pamby Third Way bull crap.....

May Max Baucus et al rot

[TlalocW]

6. Linda Belcher? I'm sure someone else named that would have something to say

ALL RIIIIIIIIIIGHT!

TlalocW

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. woohoo!

There's hope after all! Now let it spread to the rest of Kentucky.

[vi5]

8. Yes! Now can we please stop reading around here....

...that we shouldn't be contesting every seat in every state?

I read waaaaaayyyy too many posts or responses on here last week saying that Romney was the best we could hope for in Utah and some variation of defeatism. And that's not the first race/state/etc. that I've seen that kind of talk.

I'm not saying we'd be able to defeat Romney in Utah, but you know the only thing that guarantees that we won't defeat him? Not running a candidate and not spending money on that candidate.

[ehrnst]

11. She did have that seat before, so it wasn't as much of long shot

as it might seem.

[bearsfootball516]

17. She lost the seat in 2016 by less than 200 votes.

So although it was a flip, it wasn't a huge upset.

[OhNo-Really]

18. Trolls. Empty shirt is better than what?

I tell my GOP Friends that they wouldn't vote for Democratic Jesus

They have no response

[OhNo-Really]

9. A little good news today

https://m.

[Squinch]

10. Wow! That is amazing.

[laserhaas]

13. Here's the apropos pic

Link to tweet

[babylonsister]

14. Holy mackeral! Perfect!! nt

[Cracklin Charlie]

16. That is huge!

Way to go, Kentucky!

[mcar]

19. That is impressive!

[oxbow]

20. Theyre bracing against the blue wave:

From the link: “Meanwhile, the special elections are already having real-world impact.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has decided to leave a number of formerly GOP-held seats vacant rather than schedule special elections his party might lose, national Republicans are pushing the panic button on an upcoming special House election in Pennsylvania, and GOP leadership is letting scandal-plagued Rep. Blake Farenthold stick around in his seat rather than risk a special election.”

[riversedge]

21. 🌊🌊🌊 #FlipItBlue #BlueWave2018

[bluestarone]

23. another in the WIN column

[Honeycombe8]

27. Oh, HELL yeah!!!! nt

[beachbum bob]

28. the wave is building and the bullshit that democrats have lost their advantage remains bullshit

[turbinetree]

29. I think human beings want health care, 37 flipped seats and counting..............

November 2018 cannot get here fast enough

[Scalded Nun]

30. Good news for certain, but I have to a bit skeptical on KY

They also voted in an RW nutjob to replace their very good KY Gov who has gone about dismantling all his good deeds.

[not fooled]

38. Maybe that will open their eyes

Honestly, WTH were those Kentucky voters thinking when they voted in that puke gov? Of COURSE he was going to wreck Kynect.

Idiots. Perhaps now they will realize they voted to take away their own healthcare. And stop voting puke.

We can hope so.

[RussBLib]

31. woah, Nelly!

My sweet little momma used to say that when she had to stand on the brakes of our 1953 Studebaker to get it to stop. Now I use it like "holy shit!"

There are always details to be grokked, but still, woah, Nelly!

[Cha]

34. Amazing NEWS! Surreal!

Yay Kentucky!

Mahalo, ehrnst!

[Dopers_Greed]

35. And yet the M$M is crowing about...

How Trump's approval rating is going up, and that the Repubs have erased our congressional polling lead

[ProfessorGAC]

43. And, On Top Of That. . .

. . .Gallup had the usurper's numbers down going into this week. How much will we hear about that?

[truthisfreedom]

44. Amazing and wonderful.

[Stonepounder]

46. ...the rest of the story.

It is not quite the 'Blue Wave' flip everyone is making it out to be (although it is a good Dem victory.

This was a 'special election' to fill a vacant seat. Linda Belcher (D) had previously run for the seat against a (R) who also happened to be a minister. The (R) obviously won. Then allegations began to surface that the (R) had been involved in a not so consensual relationship with a 17-year-old. As the investigation began to find evidence that the allegations were true, our Man of God committed suicide. Hence the vacancy and the need for a Special Election.

Linda Belcher decided to try for the seat again, against the next (R) challenger who, it just happened to be, the wife of the suicidal minister. So there was a lot more than just 'buyers remorse' with Trump that contributed the the huge swing to Ms. Belcher.

Not that I am not willing to take and grateful for every seat we flip, just thought the a few pieces needed to be filled in.