Five Things to Know Today
Bevin concedes, wishes Beshear well
Gov. Matt Bevin said Thursday that he will not contest the results of Thursday’s recanvass of votes in the gubernatorial election.
“I’m not gonna contest these numbers that have come in,” Bevin said in a statehouse press conference. The Republican governor’s comments came as the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office was wrapping up the recanvass, which showed he lost by 5,136 votes to Democrat Andy Beshear.
“I truly wish the attorney general well as the next governor of this state as he assumes these responsibilities,” Bevin said. “I truly do. I love this state, I love this country. I love the fact that we’re blessed to live in a nation where things do transition in ways that much of the world wishes they had.” (Forward Kentucky)
Billboard warns ‘Moscow Mitch’ McConnell: Impeach Trump or ‘lose your job’
A new billboard in Washington, D.C. from a group founded by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer warns Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump or “lose your job.”
“Moscow Mitch: Do Your Duty or Lose Your Job,” reads the billboard from Need to Impeach. The billboard, which includes McConnell’s face, first appeared Wednesday on a “billboard truck” that drove around the Capitol area. (Forward Kentucky)
State Republican Party files requests with state clerks for data on governor’s race
The Republican Party of Kentucky is requesting all county clerk’s offices across the state provide a large amount of data on the Nov. 5 election. The letter was sent by Jake Cox, the state Republican Party’s director of research and digital strategy. The three-page letter contains 30 line items of information the party is seeking.
Some of the items requested include “copies of all ballot images, or of similar documents in your possession,” a list of spoiled ballots, lists of the number of absentee ballots requested and a breakdown of who absentee voters chose in the governor’s race. (Forward Kentucky)
Teachers to be grand marshals of inauguration parade
Andy Beshear, the state’s governor-elect, announced that Kentucky teachers will serve as the grand marshals for his inauguration parade next month. He also announced a number of honorary co-chairs of the inauguration. (Forward Kentucky)
And something to keep an eye on …
Matt Jones, who was removed from his radio show due to having formed an exploratory committee around a Senate run next year, tweeted yesterday that he would be on the radio show today at 10 AM. Could be an announcement that he is either going to run, or has decided not to. If you’re on the Twitter machine, follow @KySportsRadio to see what happens. We’ll post a story soon after on Forward Kentucky.
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
News
[new] Danville hires outside attorney to investigate grievances against mayor, city manager – Danville will hire independent counsel to investigate a trio of grievances filed against Mayor Mike Perros and City Manager Ron Scott by two city employees. (read)
[new] 🔥Kentucky plans to fight judge’s order to release records on Braidy industries investors – A court order issued this week says the Bevin administration must release documents showing investors in Braidy Industries, but the legal battle isn’t over. (read)
[new] Five things to know about the election recanvass Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin requested – On Thursday morning, every county board of election in Kentucky will meet to recanvass the results of the Nov. 5 election for governor. Here are five things to know heading into the recanvass. (read)
[new] Group alleges election ‘hacked’ – Beshear responds – On Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM, a group called “Citizens for Election Integrity” held a press conference in the state capitol to allege that there were “polling irregularities and electronic vote manipulation” in last week’s state-wide election. (read)
🔥We have exit polls! – As a result of a collaboration across multiple universities and multiple counties, we have actual exit polls for last week’s guv race! Let’s take a look! (read)
Rep. Charles Booker announces Senate exploratory committee – In addition to announcing his exploratory committee, Booker also announced a rally on Tuesday at 1:30 PM at the Port Shaw Community Center in Louisville. (read)
Commentary
🔥The crazy has come out about the election – There’s a conspiracy theory going around on the far Right about the Kentucky governor election, and it hit our Twitter account. Here’s the story. (read)
🔥Matt Bevin lost the Kentucky governor’s race because he’s a jerk. Good riddance! – Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Matt Bevin didn’t lose because of his policies, the way he governed, or scandal. He lost for one simple reason. (read)
Media
Rep. Charles Booker’s launch event (video) – Here is the video from today’s launch event for Rep. Charles Booker’s exploratory committee. Good crowd, good speeches, and good stuff from Booker. Enjoy! (watch)
[podcast] 2019 election results – In this week’s MOKP podcast, Jazmin and Robert explain everything that happened in election 2019, including how Beshear builds his administration, and down-ballot races. (listen)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
( 🔥indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- ‘Absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’: What officials, experts say about Bevin’s voter fraud claims (2,000 shares)
- Presser: Beshear announces transition team, names “day-one priorities” (1,000 shares)
- Alison Lundergan Grimes: Bevin should ‘honor’ election result and help Beshear transition (952 shares)
The Forward 5 is published Monday to Friday by Forward Kentucky, an independent media organization focused on progressive news and issues in Kentucky, and is re-posted with permission. You can sign up for the email version of the newsletter on their website.
