(Editor’s note: This is an experiment. We do an email newsletter every weekday morning called the “Forward Five,” and subtitled “Five things to know today.” It goes out between 7:30 and 8:00. We’re going to try posting it here as well, just to see if it gets any traction. If you would like to see this experiment continued (or not), share your thoughts in the comments.)
*—*—*—*—*
Bevin not conceding, alleging irregularities
Republicans urge Bevin to provide proof of election fraud or ‘let it go’ and concede
A growing number of Republican lawmakers are urging Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a fellow Republican, to either provide evidence of the voting “irregularities” he has alleged or concede Tuesday’s election to Gov.-elect Andy Beshear, who defeated him by 5,189 votes.
“The best thing to do, the right thing to do, is for Governor Bevin to concede the election today so we can move on,” said Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville. (Herald-Leader)
‘Absurd’ and ‘ridiculous’: What officials, experts say about Bevin’s voter fraud claims
We asked election officials and experts at the state and local levels for their thoughts on Gov. Matt Bevin’s voter fraud claims. (Courier-Journal)
The Matt Jones story
Background: Matt Jones, founder of Kentucky Sports Radio, has been considering challenging Mitch McConnell in 2020, and has formed an exploratory committee for that. Jones was removed from his television show after someone complained to the station about the “free air time” he was receiving as a possible candidate. (Jones thinks the McGrath campaign did it.) Then, he was removed from his radio show after the Republican Party of Kentucky filed an FEC complaint on basically the same grounds.
Kentucky Sports Radio fans band together: #FreeMattJones trending after host leaves show
A day after Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones announced he’d been asked to not be on iHeart Radio in the near future, #FreeMattJones started trending on Twitter around the United States Thursday with almost 20,000 tweets. (Courier-Journal)
Matt Jones: ‘I was very close to not’ running for Senate, but now will think about it
In a live video posted on Twitter on Thursday night, Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones, who’s toyed with the idea of running for Senate against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2020, said he was almost ready to announce he wasn’t running before he was taken off iHeart Radio.
In his video following a day of #FreeMattJones trending nationally, Jones said he “was very close to not doing it. Like, very close. To the point that I’d had some discussions about potentially even announcing this morning on the show that I wasn’t gonna do it.”
“But now,” Jones said, “they’ve given me more to think about.” He still didn’t make a definitive announcement, but said, “I think the decision has to come soon.” (Courier-Journal)
How Andy won – Robert Kahne analyzes the election
Robert Kahne uses his skill as a data analyst to do a masterful job analyzing the election results by showing you the four parts of the Beshear victory. (Forward Kentucky)
Did Bevin’s decision to dump his running mate cost him the election?
Matt Bevin lost some counties in 2019 that he won in 2015. Did dropping Jeanean Hampton, a Tea Party favorite, cost him those votes? (Forward Kentucky)
McConnell’s record on coal has become a hot topic in his Senate campaign
Mitch McConnell staked his last Senate campaign, five years ago, in large part on his support for the coal industry and coal miners.
But McConnell’s unwillingness to shore up the fund that supports miners with black lung disease or their pension fund, even after dozens of his constituents traveled 10 hours by bus this summer to his Washington office, has allowed a well-funded opponent to seize on what should be McConnell’s strength: coal.
“Coal miners risked their lives to fuel our country and our growth into a world power,” Democrat Amy McGrath says in a recent attack ad. Borrowing a union battle cry that still echoes in the hills and hollows around here after more than 80 years, McGrath says: “The question for anyone in Congress is, which side are you on?”
In an indication that it struck a nerve, McConnell’s campaign quickly hit back with his own ad, asserting that “Kentucky coal country knows that Mitch fights and wins for miners.” (Inside Climate News)