FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Despite being overwhelmingly Democratic by registration, Kentucky voters have an affinity for Republicans in the state’s federal delegation, electing two more congressmen from the ranks of the GOP on Tuesday.
Republican Andy Barr scored Kentucky’s biggest election upset by defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler in the 6th District. In the 4th District, Republican Thomas Massie beat Democrat Bill Adkins to replace retired U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis.
Those victories gave the GOP, which already has both of Kentucky’s U.S. Senate seats, five of the state’s six seats in the House. Beginning in January, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth will be the sole Democrat representing Kentucky in Washington, despite Democrats outnumbering Republicans in the state 1.6 million to 1.1 million.
“Kentucky Democrats are not liberals,” said Republican strategist Mike Karem. “Kentucky Democrats are conservative, and they vote that way on the national level.”
Barr made the 6th District race about President Barack Obama, an unpopular political figure in Kentucky, painting Chandler as his surrogate.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Barr had 153,348 votes or 51 percent, to 141,496 votes for Chandler, or 47 percent. Independent candidate Randolph Vance had 8,340 votes or 3 percent.
Kentucky voters also made Republican Mitt Romney their choice for president on Tuesday, yet again snubbing Obama, who lost the state in the 2008 primary and general elections.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Romney had 1,086,970 votes or 60 percent, to 679,105 votes for Obama, or 38 percent.
Neither Romney nor Obama campaigned in Kentucky. Obama yielded the state to Romney after a poor showing in the Democratic primary.
Obama’s negatives played in favor of Barr. University of Kentucky political scientist Ernie Yanarella described an “Obama albatross” around Chandler’s neck.
“I’m afraid President Obama was a little too heavy for us in some of the rural counties,” Chandler said.
Barr said he was ready to put the mean-spirited campaign behind him and work with Democrats to fix the nation’s problems.
“One of the reasons I think I was elected was I talked about this dysfunction in Washington and the need to build a consensus and I don’t think we have a choice,” Barr said after winning. “We have no choice … because the problems in this country are too great.”
Barr portrayed himself as a champion for the coal industry, criticizing the Obama administration for environmental policies that have made it more difficult to open new mines or expand existing ones. That played well among many voters in the 6th District, even though it has no coal mines.
“Andy Barr is focused on energy independence, and we need to be independent of other countries and, besides coal, we need to focus on becoming stronger in terms of energy,” said Phyllis Fuchs, 44, a Republican financial coach from Richmond.
Combined, Chandler and Barr spent some $4 million, with most going to mean-spirited TV ads that ran around-the-clock since late summer. Outside groups spent a similar amount on the race.
In other Kentucky congressional races, Republican U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield, Brett Guthrie and Hal Rogers were also re-elected on Tuesday.
In the 4th District, where U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis resigned, tea party Republican Thomas Massie defeated Democrat Bill Adkins, a northern Kentucky attorney.
Massie, a tea party favorite, also won a simultaneous special election to fill the unexpired term through the remainder of this year.
Like Barr, Massie also benefited from Romney’s strong showing.
Latonia truck driver Ed Talley, 61, a lifelong Democrat who changed his registration to Republican earlier this year, voted for Romney. The deciding factor: disappointment in Obama.
“I thought the guy would shine. He’s the first black president, and everything else, but he got his chance to shine and just bombed,” Talley said.
Murray State University student Shawanta Jones said she voted for Obama because of his handling of the economy.
“I mean, I live in it, and everybody knows it’s so out of whack right now,” the 20-year-old Democrat said. “It’s starting to not only affect me, but my family.”
Democrats managed to hang on to their majority in the state House, despite an adverse political climate. And Republicans kept control of the state Senate.
Voters also gave Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott of Pikeville another term on the state’s highest court. And they ratified a constitutional amendment that makes hunting and fishing a constitutional right in the state.
