Democrat trounces Republican in Kentucky state race where Trump won with 72% of vote

The Democrats have emphatically won a state House seat in a Kentucky district where Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 49 points in 2016.

Linda Belcher’s victory in Bullitt County, where she polled more than two-thirds of the vote, is thought to be the Democrats’ 37th gain since the presidential election and is the latest sign of the party’s momentum ahead of pivotal midterms later this year.

She defeated the widow of a former Kentucky Republican lawmaker who killed himself last year after facing child sexual assault allegations.

Rebecca Johnson had denied the accusations against husband Dan Johnson, claiming he was a victim of “an assault from the left.” However, they were backed up by an on-the-record interview from the victim, plus pages of police documents that were published by the Kentucky Centre for Investigative Reporting.

Voters in the rural district just south of Louisville voted overwhelmingly to replace Mr Johnson with Ms Belcher, a retired teacher and former Democratic state politician who had lost the seat by fewer than 200 votes in 2016.

Ms Belcher won 68 per cent of Tuesday’s vote, with Republican candidate Ms Johnson polling 32 per cent.

The result will boost confidence among Democrats ahead of crucial midterm elections two years into Mr Trump’s presidency.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said Bullitt County was at least the 37th contested seat the party had taken from Republicans since Mr Trump’s inauguration.

It may also be the strongest pocket of Trump support where the Democrats have triumphed since he took power.

Source: Yahoo News