{"id":2053471,"date":"2023-10-03T06:45:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T10:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-how-mcconnells-health-raises-stakes-of-kentucky-governors-race\/"},"modified":"2023-10-03T06:48:01","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T10:48:01","slug":"democracy-derby-how-mcconnells-health-raises-stakes-of-kentucky-governors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-how-mcconnells-health-raises-stakes-of-kentucky-governors-race\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell&#8217;s health intensifies Kentucky governor&#8217;s race."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocracy-derby-how-mcconnells-health-raises-stakes-of-kentucky-governors-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2053471&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>All eyes may \u200bbe on 2024, but 2023\u2064 is an important election year for some states, not least Kentucky.<\/h2>\n<p>Top \u200bof the card is Gov. Andy Beshear\u200d (D-KY) and\u2063 whether the Democrat incumbent can win again in a typically red state,\u2063 potentially launching\u200d himself\u200d into the 2028 presidential conversation.<\/p>\n<p>This <strong>Washington Examiner<\/strong> series, <strong>Democracy Derby<\/strong>, will take a closer look\u200c at Beshear&#8217;s prospects, the makeup of \u200dthe Bluegrass State as a whole, and whether Sen. Mitch McConnell&#8217;s \u2064(R-KY) health may raise the stakes.<\/p>\n<h2>Much is at stake in Kentucky\u2019s gubernatorial election next month between the state\u2019s governor, Andy \u200dBeshear (D-KY), \u2063and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron next month.<\/h2>\n<p>The\u2062 race is expected to be one of the most expensive contests of the year and will serve as the latest preview of voter sentiment ahead \u2064of the 2024 presidential election. The incumbent\u200c Beshear winning a second term would be a \u2063major boon for Democrats going\u2063 into next year, while\u200d a Cameron victory would give Republicans a much-needed boost of momentum.<\/p>\n<h3>DEMOCRACY DERBY: HOW\u200c THE \u200cKENTUCKY GOVERNOR&#8217;S\u200d RACE COULD SERVE AS\u200c A SPRINGBOARD INTO 2028<\/h3>\n<p>The contest also has implications \u2063for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY),\u200d whose replacement would be chosen by the winner of this race should health\u200c matters require him to\u2063 step \u2062down \u200bearly. McConnell, \u200c81, has said in the wake \u2064of a pair of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democracy-derby-how-mcconnells-health-raises-stakes-of-kentucky-governors-race\/\" title=\"McConnell's health intensifies Kentucky governor's race.\">highly publicized \u200chealth \u2062scares<\/a> that \u2064he \u200dintends to finish out his term,\u2062 which ends at the start \u200cof 2027.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP leader\u2019s adamance that he is up to the \u2064job has not quelled speculation \u2064about his political future and what it\u2062 would mean if he were \u200dto resign early.<\/p>\n<p>With McConnell\u2019s \u200dsupport and a supermajority in the \u200dstate legislature, Kentucky Republicans passed a bill in 2021 requiring the governor to \u200cchoose between three candidates put forward by the party of the outgoing senator if they were to create \u200ca vacancy before their term is up.<\/p>\n<p>Beshear was overruled after vetoing the legislation and has refused to\u2063 commit to \u2062following it in the event of an unexpected retirement, arguing the law \u201cimproperly and unconstitutionally&#8221; restricted \u2064his power to fill vacancies, making his reelection that much \u2063more consequential for McConnell and the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell, \u200dthe longest-serving Senate\u2064 leader in \u200dU.S. history, has faced a flurry of questions about his health and well-being in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>The top Senate\u200d Republican froze\u200c in front of the cameras in late August after appearing to lose concentration. Asked \u200cby a reporter about \u2062his\u2064 2026 election\u2063 plans, McConnell stared off into the distance, unable to speak \u200cfor about 30 seconds until aides\u2063 rushed\u200d to\u2062 his side.<\/p>\n<p>That incident came one month after a similar episode in which McConnell suddenly froze midsentence while speaking to \u200dreporters \u2063and looked ahead with an apparent blank stare\u2064 for 18 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky senator \u2064and his allies have sought to dispel \u200cany notion \u2062that he is not up to the top job in leadership,\u200b with McConnell himself projecting complete normalcy since the two incidents.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s office \u200breleased a letter upon his return\u2062 from August \u200brecess from\u200c Dr. Brian Monahan, the \u200bCapitol&#8217;s attending physician, which cleared him for work. The memo ruled out the\u2063 possibility of the octogenarian suffering a seizure, stroke, \u2062or other movement\u2063 disorder \u200csuch as Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>The move\u2064 was not entirely surprising for McConnell,\u2062 who is revered as one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-democrats-say-mcconnells-leadership-future-unclear-in-next-congress\/\" title=\"Uncertainty looms over McConnell's leadership in upcoming Congress, say Senate Democrats.\">greatest political operators<\/a> of the last century.\u2063 The GOP leader has\u200d been careful about how he presents himself \u200dto\u200b the press and the\u2062 larger public, especially given that \u200cshowing any signs\u200d of \u200cvulnerability\u2064 could lead to questions \u2063about his power.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Jennings, a longtime McConnell adviser, emphatically \u2064dismissed\u200b any \u2063notion that the seven-term\u2062 senator \u200dwould\u200c not finish his term in an \u200cinterview with the Washington Examiner on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been around McConnell quite a bit lately.\u200c I think he&#8217;s fine,&#8221; Jennings \u200csaid, later adding, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think \u2064he&#8217;s going anywhere.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The question is not about McConnell\u2019s health, he explained, but that Beshear and his allies in Kentucky may violate state law in\u200d the event of a vacancy.<\/p>\n<p>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/p>\n<p>Multiple state Democrats \u2063have reportedly speculated \u200bthat Beshear would\u2063 ignore the 2021 law and appoint \u2063a Democrat, daring Republicans to sue. A lawsuit\u2063 would stall the appointment; it would also give Beshear the chance to\u2063 challenge the new law legally.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do \u200cthink they&#8217;ve raised this\u200d as an issue and so I think\u2062 they&#8217;re\u2064 the ones that you really want to ask,\u201d Jennings said of Democrats. \u200c\u201cI know if\u2062 Daniel\u2064 Cameron\u200b wins, he&#8217;ll\u2063 follow all the laws, \u200cbut Beshear only follows the ones he feels like following.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c How does the Kentucky governor&#8217;s race\u200c serve\u2062 as a test of \u2062political sentiment leading \u200cup\u200b to the 2024 presidential election and what insights\u200c can it provide into \u200cKentucky voters&#8217; preferences and priorities<\/h2>\n<p><span>  For several seconds before regaining his composure. These incidents, along with\u200b his age, have raised concerns\u2062 about McConnell&#8217;s\u2063 ability to continue serving as\u2064 Senate Minority Leader and the impact it could have \u200bon Kentucky politics.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome of\u2063 the\u2062 gubernatorial \u2063election between \u2063Beshear and Cameron will not only determine the state&#8217;s leadership for the next four\u200d years but also potentially \u2063have significant implications for McConnell&#8217;s \u200bposition. If Beshear is reelected, it would solidify the Democrats&#8217; hold on \u2063power in \u2062Kentucky and \u200dpotentially open the \u2062door\u200c for him to be a \u200ccontender in the 2028 presidential\u200c race.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, a\u200c victory for Cameron would provide a much-needed boost for Republicans \u2063in the \u200bstate \u200cand potentially set the stage for him to have a \u200bprominent role in national politics in the\u200d future. It would \u2062also \u200draise questions about McConnell&#8217;s ability to \u200dcontinue serving \u200bas\u2062 Senate Minority\u200d Leader if his health were to deteriorate further.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky governor&#8217;s race is not only\u200b a battle between two individuals \u200bbut also\u2062 a test\u200d of political sentiment leading up to the 2024 presidential election. It will provide valuable\u2064 insights\u2062 into the preferences and priorities of Kentucky voters and serve \u200cas a barometer for \u2063the \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-slams-radical-left-democrats-in-response-to-ruling-that-he-committed-fraud\/\" title=\"Trump criticizes 'Radical Left Democrats' after being accused of fraud.\">larger political\u2063 landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the implications of McConnell&#8217;s \u2064potential early retirement \u2063cannot be underestimated.\u200b The bill passed by Kentucky Republicans, which gives \u200bthe \u2063governor the power to \u200bchoose McConnell&#8217;s replacement, adds an \u200cextra layer of \u2064complexity to the race. Beshear&#8217;s refusal to \u200dcommit to following this legislation highlights the potential clash between the\u200d executive and legislative branches and the constitutional questions it raises.<\/p>\n<p>As McConnell\u200b faces ongoing speculation about his health and \u200dpolitical future, the outcome of the gubernatorial election takes on even greater significance. The race has the potential to reshape Kentucky politics and\u200c have ripple effects \u200bthat \u2063extend beyond the state&#8217;s\u2063 borders.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, while all eyes\u2062 may be on the 2024 \u200cpresidential election, it is important not \u2062to overlook the significance of the 2023 \u2062gubernatorial \u200belection in \u200bKentucky. The contest between Andy Beshear and Daniel Cameron will not only \u200dshape the\u200b state&#8217;s leadership but also have\u200c far-reaching implications for the future of Senate Minority Leader Mitch \u200dMcConnell \u200dand the \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-casey-says-terminology-used-in-abortion-debate-antiquated-post-dobbs\/\" title=\"Bob Casey deems abortion debate terminology 'outdated' after Dobbs case.\">broader political landscape<\/a>. As \u2062the \u2064stakes remain high, the Democracy Derby series will closely examine the candidates, the state&#8217;s dynamics, and \u200dthe \u200bpotential consequences of this critical election \u2062year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>focus on the crucial 2023 election year in Kentucky, where all attention may be on 2024. Governor Andy Beshear&#8217;s (D-KY) re-election bid in a traditionally Republican state holds significance, as it could propel him into the 2028 presidential race. The Washington Examiner&#8217;s series, Democracy Derby, will cover this pivotal election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2053472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2053471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2053471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2053472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2053471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2053471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2053471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}