Democrat win where Trump was king
A new triumph became the 37th Democrat victory in special elections since Donald Trump came to the White House. The winner, Linda Belcher, will fill the vacancy left by Rep. Dan Jonhson, a pastor who committed suicide in December after accusations of sexual abuse. Enthusiasts wonder if this is a sign of chance in the United States.
Democrat Linda Belcher won the special election in Bullitt County, Kentucky, on Tuesday night to replace Republican Rep. Dan Johnson, who committed suicide last December amid allegations of sexual abuse. Belcher obtained 68.45% of the votes against 31.55% of his Republican rival Rebecca Johnson, the former representative's widow, according to the office of the Bullitt County Clerk. There were 4,947 votes cast. With this Democrat victory, they already have 37 victories for that party in special elections since the beginning of 2017.
A week earlier, the Democrats won a very competitive victory in Sarasota, Florida; A week before that, the Democratic Party also regained control of a legislative seat in Missouri. In 2016, Donald Trump won Kentucky for the highest margin any Republican presidential candidate in history has won. Balcher then lost by only 156 votes to Republican pastor Dan Johnson. Trump's margin in the district, 72-23, helped Republicans seize total political control of Kentucky for the first time in 96 years. Is that about to change with the recent results?
In December of 2017, during the wave of protests against sexual harassment and machismo under the #MeToo label, the Kentucky Research Center released an extensive investigation into Johnson's behavior in his church, revealing that he had abused a 17-year-old girl. The story also linked him to the cases of arson and rape at the church in Fern Creek, where he was a pastor. Days after the story was published, Johnson was found dead with a bullet wound to the head.
Less than 24 hours after his death, his wife Rebecca Johnson said she planned to run for her seat and was nominated by the Republican party two weeks later. Wow! That was quick! In office, Johnson helped Republicans pass the ambitious conservative agenda of the same party's governor, Matt Bevin, who banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Belcher, the winner of the election, is a retired teacher and former school principal. Like her opponent, she entered politics after her husband died. Democratic Representative Larry Belcher died in a car accident in October 2008, and his wife replaced him on the ballot. She served in the legislature from 2008 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2016, when she lost to Dan Johnson.